Things We Left Behind
by Piccolo is green
Summary: Mirai timeline. The daughter of Videl grew up not knowing her father. Now she's in for a big surprise when she meets a handsome man who claims to know all about her father and the strange abilities she has. Mirai Trunks/Pan.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Dragonball Z.

**AN:** This story is set in the mirai timeline.

Prologue: To be young and in love.

It was around three and a half years after the first appearance of the androids, when a young woman of fourteen lay in her bed, slowly falling victim to sleep. She had been wondering when her secret boyfriend would next visit, as he liked to climb through her bedroom window after dark, and would often stay til dawn. Tonight, however, it was already past the time that he would usually show, so Videl had decided to hit the sack.

Videl loved her boyfriend. He was just a month older than her, and they had met at a party six months before. She had been automatically attracted to his bad boy persona, the way he seemed so confident, and so strong. But it was what was underneath that she really fell for, for under his hardened exterior was the warmest heart she had ever known. He was truly caring, sensitive, always happy to listen, and best of all, loving.

Despite all of this, there was still much that Videl didn't know about her boy. She knew his dad had died not long before the androids appeared, from the deadly heart virus, and that he lived with his mother, but other than that he didn't talk much about his past. Often, he would get a far away look on his face, and he would seem so sad, and so lonely. Videl hoped that she could make his life better, and she hoped that he knew he was not alone.

It was at this moment, when sleep had almost claimed her, that she heard the usual tapping at her window. Quickly, she stumbled out of bed and towards the sound, careful not to trip on the books and CDs that littered her floor. As soon as she opened the window he was in, grabbing her in a strong embrace, his arms around her and his head buried in her soft hair.

"Videl," he breathed softly, his lips brushing past her ear, "I've missed you."

"I thought you weren't coming tonight," she replied, "I almost fell asleep, but I'm so glad you're here now, Gohan."

Silently, he closed the window, careful not to make any loud noises that could wake his girlfriend's father. He picked Videl up effortlessly, and carried her over to her queen size bed, setting her down gently on top of the covers.

"I bought us some drinks," he offered, opening his backpack so that they could both look inside. "I managed to get a few beers, and a four pack of those vodka mixers, too. We've gotta drink them all tonight 'cos I can't take them back home."

Videl looked up into his face and smiled. Yes, she loved her bad boy. She never asked where he got the stuff that he brought to her house; she preferred not to know the details. But in this living hell, with the guillotine hanging over their heads constantly, it was nice to be able to escape into her own world once in a while, a world where only her and Gohan existed. She could never explain why, but when Gohan was around she didn't feel the need to be afraid of the androids, almost as if they could never touch her. He made her feel safe.

For Gohan too, seeing Videl was a way to escape the cruel reality of his world. She made him forget about he androids, if only for a moment. With her, he could pretend his dad was still alive, and that he hadn't seen his friends and allies massacred in front of him. He didn't have to think of the fact that he was the only one left, feel the guilt that it should have been him that died, rather than them. The moments with Videl were quite literally the only times that he did not have the weight of the world upon his shoulders.

This here, was the reason for Gohan Son's recent bout of bad behaviour. To his mother, he was still a good boy who studied in the morning, and trained in the afternoon. She had no idea of his nightlife, the parties he snuck out to, his girlfriend, the stealing. Yes, Gohan, the son of the greatest martial artist that had ever lived, had become a bit of a thief. He stuck only to taking alcohol and cigarettes, and sometimes a bit of food, but nothing more. He never got caught, because his Saiyan reflexes were so fast that the security cameras in stores could not pick up the movement, and the moments when he stole thing were the few times that he felt in control.

Deep down, of course, this was the same Gohan that he had always been, and after his thieving he was always struck by tremendous guilt. This was why he brought the things he stole to Videl, she never asked where they came from, and she never judged him. Instead, she greeted him with a smile, and made him feel like everything was all right.

The two teenagers began to consume the alcohol Gohan had brought along, and soon they were both more than a little tipsy. Feeling more adventurous than usual, Videl removed her top, and then her pants, so that she was sitting in only her underwear. As Gohan kissed her hungrily, she helped him to remove his clothes too, and eventually the two teens were both naked.

"Do you trust me?" Gohan asked, looking into her blue eyes.

"Of course," came the giggled reply, "I love you Gohan Son!"

With that, they continued into the night, finding freedom in each other's bodies. They drifted to sleep in each other's arms, and woke before sunrise to say goodbye.

"I love you, Videl," he whispered, wishing he never had to let her go.

"I love you too," she whispered back, wishing just as hard.

Gohan slipped silently out her window, and with one last look back, was gone.

Unfortunately for these two young lovers, fate had a different plan for each of them than what they wanted. They did not yet know it, but that day was to be the last time they ever saw each other again.

And this is where the real story begins...

**AN:** I know this might seem a bit OOC for both Videl and Gohan (okay a lot OOC), but when I watch the History of Trunks special, I get the feeling that the Future Gohan is a lot more serious than the normal one, and also stronger in terms of personality. He went through a lot, with all his dad and friends dying, and I think the death of Piccolo especially could have mucked him up enough for him to lose his sense of self for a few years. As I explained in the chapter, the sense of impending doom that everyone feels because of the Androids is enough to make Videl want to escape, by any means possible.


	2. I'm not normal

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Dragonball Z**

Chapter Two: I'm not normal.

_Three and a half years after the destruction of the androids, six months after the death of Cell._

My school year started out the same as usual, with the first day back beginning with assembly.

"Pan Satan," my newest form teacher called, and upon hearing my name I walked over to join the rest of the girls, all a year older than me, that stood in line behind her. I had been put up a year when I entered high school, and even with that I was still top of my class in every subject. Part of it was because I'm naturally bright, but it was also because I studied hard. For a number of reasons, including the age difference, I always felt alienated by my peers. Although I could have polite conversations with some of the girls, I didn't have any real friends, and spent the majority of my lunchtimes reading in the library.

I go to Stellaris, the only private all girls school in Orange Star City. Although my mum has never explicitly said, I think her reasoning for sending me here was to keep me away from all the boys, after all, she did give birth to me at the tender age of fifteen.

I've never known my father. In fact, I don't even know his name, as my mum refuses to tell me. My birth certificate is blank where you're supposed to write the father's name, and I don't even know if he's on this continent, or if he's even alive. It's very strange to think that he could be out there somewhere, or that he could even be close by. What if he was the man I saw every day at the bus stop, or the guy in the electronic store? If my mother has her way, I will never know.

One of the main things that bothered me was the fact that because of this, a whole branch of my family tree was unknown to me. What if I had uncles and aunts, cousins and grandparents out there? Didn't I have a right to know them? It wasn't just that, what if the family I didn't know had the answers I needed to know? What if they could tell me what was wrong with me, and explain why I was not...normal?

Ever since I was little, I've been able to do things that shouldn't be possible. At first, it wasn't too noticeable. So what if I could lift a chair above my head at the age of three? But I kept getting stronger, and faster, and soon I could jump higher than I should have. By the age of ten, I could lift a car above my head. I could jump higher than the tallest trees, and I could run faster than any car. And none of this even made me break a sweat.

There were a few other things too. My sense of smell was far keener than any other human's that I had ever met, and my eyesight was better too. I could see things in the dark when no one else could, and I had better hearing, good enough to hear whispers from the opposite side of a classroom.

Of course, I realised something was seriously wrong with me. None of this stuff should have been humanly possible, and yet I could do it. I could tell that it scared my mother, although she tried to hide her fear from me. Before I turned ten, I had realised that I had to keep my abilities a secret, not only from the rest of the world, but also as much as I could from my mum.

Still, sometimes I slipped up. When I was fourteen and in gym class, I accidentally jumped too high to catch a softball. My audience was practically stunned silent. The year before that I had accidentally broken a classroom door clean from its frame, and just last winter I had kicked a soccer ball so hard that it had exploded.

This was the other reason for the alienation at school. I was a freak of nature, and as such, no one wanted to know me.

On this first day back, it was relieving to thing that this was my last year. Despite the fact that I was only sixteen, I would be graduating at the end of the school year, and I could kiss my dull high school life goodbye. I still had no idea what I would do after that, with my good marks there were endless possibilities open to me, and it seemed like there was too much to choose from. Sometimes, I found myself wishing that I wasn't quite so smart, that way there wouldn't be this great expectation for me to go to university. Instead, I would be free to do whatever my heart desired, or at least I would be in a perfect world.

But the world is not perfect.

I was unfortunately reminded of that fact after school, as I walked through Orange Star City. My mum was working til six, and I decided to kill some time by window-shopping. I was walking along the less popular parts of the shopping district, where all my favourite little stores are, when I finally realised why I had been feeling a little on edge.

I had learned from a young age to trust my instincts, as they never seemed to lead me wrong. I don't think my instincts are the same as other people have, I've heard of people who regret not trusting their gut feeling. For me, I _have_ to trust my instincts, once I have a gut feeling, it's so strong that I don't see how I could disobey it.

Right now, my gut was telling me I was in danger.

I hadn't been aware of it before, but now that I was alert I realised my ears had been picking up the sound of the same two pairs of feet for at least the last fifteen minutes. Although I was hoping it was merely coincidence, instinct was telling me I was being followed.

Looking behind me, I saw two big, burly men walking about fifteen meters back. Quickly, I ducked into the closest shop, one selling mobile phones, and pretended to look interested in the products on sale. I was hoping that I was just imagining things, but I looked up to see that the two men had entered the store, and as I did one of them met my glance. He was staring at me like I was a piece of meat, as if he would eat me any second now. Crap.

I panicked. I should have told the shopkeeper my problem; he could have taken me out back, called the police, done something to keep me safe. Instead, like an idiot with a death wish, I walked back out of the store. Now I wanted to run, but my brain didn't seem to have control over my body. What was the point in superhuman abilities if I couldn't even use them when needed! At best, I managed a bit of a staggered run, only at usual human speed. I could hear them running behind me, and as the fear took over my breath became more laboured, my heart was pounding and I felt sick.

In my panicked state, I missed the turn I should have taken. It would have led me onto a crowded street, and I would have been safe. Instead, I mistakenly ran down the next left turn, and realised too late that I was headed into a deserted alley with a dead end. I spun around to see my pursuers standing there, evil grins on their faces, blocking my only chance of escape.

"Hi, sweetheart," the taller of the two called, "we just wanna have a lil' fun with ya, why don't ya be a good gal an' come here?"

I backed up further into the corner, too paralysed by fear to think of any other options. I wanted to scream, but my mouth felt dry, and I couldn't seem to make any noise at all.

The smaller of the two men started towards me, slowly moving forward like a predator closing in on its prey. Like a deer in headlights, I just stood, frozen to the spot. He pushed me up against the wall, and with a scowl on his face, he spoke. "Just stay still and this'll all be over soon enough."

When his hand went to move up my uniform skirt, something inside me snapped. One moment the man was right in front of me, the next he was laying in a crumpled heap on the opposite side of the alley. I took me a second to realise that I had been the cause of his apparent injuries.

"Hey you crazy bitch!" the other man, who I had momentarily forgotten, called out, "what the fuck was that!" I realised a little too late that he had a gun in his hand, and vaguely registered that I was screaming as I heard the shot fire.

Time seemed to slow down; although I think the true explanation is that I got faster. Either way, I could clearly see the bullet leave the barrel of the gun, and come flying through the air towards my head. Instinctively, my hand moved in front of my face, just in time to catch the bullet.

It should have flown right through my hand and into my head, killing me instantly. Instead, I opened my hand to see the crumpled bullet sitting there, in my undamaged palm. I had caught a bullet shot at my head from a close range, and I had survived unscathed. The thought was too much to handle, and my legs gave way.

Slumped on the ground, I was in too much of a daze to realise what was going on around me, but I did hear the man with the gun leaving, yelling obscenities on the way. I'm not sure how long I sat there, but it probably wasn't any longer than a few minutes.

"Miss, miss are you alright?" Someone's worried voice broke me out of my reverie. I looked up to see an angel looking down on me; maybe I was dead after all. His golden hair rose above his head like crown, and his eyebrows were furrowed in a deep frown. His eyes were the most beautiful I had ever seen. He didn't appear to have any pupils, and the colour of his eyes was the richest teal, nothing on Earth seemed good enough to compare the colour to.

"I, I thought I caught the bullet," I mumbled to the gorgeous creature, "but you're here now, so I must be dead. At least it wasn't painful." I gestured for him to look at my hand, to see the little bullet inside. Maybe he put it in there, to trick me so I wouldn't be so scared. I didn't think I could ever be terrified of this magnificent creature, something about him seemed wholly good, and I felt a sense of comfort now that he was near.

The angel looked down at my hand, and gasped at what he saw. He looked back to my face, and I could see he was confused too. What was going on? Shouldn't he have known that I was shot? That was why he was here. As he continued to stare at me the look on his face changed, like he had realised something that had been eluding him for some time.

I didn't have any energy left, and the world began to get dizzy. I felt warm arms around me, and opened my eyes to find myself cradled in the angel's arms, his face full of love smiling down on me.

"Its okay, I'll take care of you," he said in his beautiful voice. I sighed, feeling content to be near him.

Then the world went black.

* * *

**AN:** I'm sure you have all figured out that my main character is the daughter of Gohan and Videl, conceived when they were only fourteen. I just want to explain that although she is named Pan, she is not the same Pan as we know in the main timeline, as that Pan was conceived much later in Gohan and Videl's lives (so they can't possibly be the same).

Instead, please think of this Pan as a sister to the girl we see in DBZ/GT. My Pan has blue eyes, the same colour as her mother's, with straight black hair. I called her Pan because I love all the TP fics out there, and wanted to do one of my own, and also because I figured if Videl called her first-born daughter Pan in the normal timeline, wouldn't this Videl do the same?

Basically you can see this fic as a sort of AU, but hey, no one knows what Gohan got up to in the future timeline, and this is just my idea.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)


	3. Revelations

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z**

Revelations

When I next opened my eyes, the afternoon sun was streaming through the window. At first I thought I was in my own room, but then I realised the furniture was all wrong, and there wasn't nearly enough clutter. Shocked, I sat up too quickly, and the fast movement made me dizzy. When I recovered, I looked around the room again, trying to remember how I had gotten here. Slowly it came back to me, I had been shopping, then chased, and I was shot at.

I had thought I had caught a bullet. That seemed impossible for a human, but then again, I could do other crazy stuff. Maybe I did catch it. But that angel had shown up, so maybe I was dead. He couldn't have been real; no one looks like that, so beautiful, so perfect. Maybe this was all a dream, and I was going to wake up again for real, in my own bed, to find that school hadn't even started yet.

"Its good to see you're finally awake."

Shocked, I turned towards the voice of my angel, but in his place I saw a man who looked completely different. He was gorgeous too, an extremely handsome man, but the colouring was wrong. He didn't have the gold light around him, instead he just looked human. His soft hair was the colour of lavender, and he had bright blue eyes that you could easily get lost in.

"Are you alright?" His smooth voice sounded exactly like my angel's, but how was that possible? As he stepped forward into the light, I couldn't help gasping, as I realised he did look very much like my angel, at least in facial features. Maybe I had been so out of it that I imagined he was gold? I noticed that he was very well built too, the lines of his muscular body visible through the grey singlet he was wearing.

"Miss?" He said, one eyebrow raised in a mix of worry and wonder.

"Oh, uh... what?" I stuttered, having completely forgotten what it was that he had asked.

"Are you alright? Did those men in the alleyway touch you at all?"

"No...Wait, you were there?"

He looked confused for a minute, as if to say 'of course I was, are you blind or something?' but then realisation swept across his face.

"I looked different," he stated simply. Before I could reply, I was momentarily blinded by a bright light, and there, in the man's place, was my angel. "Do you recognise me now?" he said, "I found you in the alley, you passed out, so I brought you here."

My mouth hanging wide open, I tried to find words that could describe my shock. All I managed was some incoherent mumbling. The man had just turned his hair from purple to gold in one second. And I could have sworn his eyes were blue before! This had to be some kind of crazy dream.

Suddenly, the gold disappeared, and he was back to the human man once again. Sighing, he came and sat beside me on the bed, I must have flinched, because he looked at me with sad eyes.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," he said softly, "I would never hurt you."

You would think a girl who woke up on a strangers bed, then witnessed a man literally transform in front of her eyes, would be a little more afraid than I was. Despite all the weird stuff, the feeling I got from this man was good. Somehow I already knew that I was safe with him, safer than I had ever felt before.

"I don't understand," I admitted to him, "I feel really confused."

"Its okay," he said reassuringly, "I'll explain everything to you."

I just nodded meekly, too numb to do anything else.

"For starters," he began, "you're in West City now, at Capsule Corp. to be exact." He extended his hand to me, "My name is Trunks by the way."

I stared at the hand. Trunks from Capsule Corp. This was a crazy dream; there was no way I could be talking to _the_ Trunks Briefs, heir to the multi-billion dollar corporation. Looking back up at him, I realised that I really was. How could I have not recognised him before? I'd seen him in magazines, and there aren't all that many people around that have hair like him.

"Um...I, I'm Pan," I stuttered, making a complete fool of myself.

"Pan," he repeated, "I like that name, it suits you."

Like an idiot, I giggled. I was so lame.

He smirked, looking very much like a movie star. "I hope you don't mind me asking any personal questions, I kinda need to in order to explain to you what's going on." When I nodded in approval, he continued. "Did you ever know your father?"

That one caught me off guard. By 'personal' I had been expecting 'where do you live' or something similar. Not something left field about my father. It was almost like he already knew what I would say. I decided to answer him truthfully, what did it matter if I told him a little family history?

"No, no I've never known him. I don't even know his name; my birth certificate is blank and my mum won't tell me." I paused before I realised what he actually asked. "Wait, did you say 'know my father,' as in the past tense?"

The sad eyes were back, looking at me with deep sympathy. "He was a family friend. We have his DNA signature stored in our system here. You reminded me of him, so while you were out I got my mother to put your DNA through the system too. It matched. You're his daughter." He paused, looking into my eyes while placing a hand over mine. "He died seven years ago," came his pained whisper, "I'm so sorry."

I didn't know what to think, I don't know if I was thinking at all. Slowly, I registered that tears were rolling down my cheeks. Was I sad? I realised I was, mourning for the man I would never meet. At that moment I finally came to terms with the fact that I had been secretly harbouring hope that I would find him someday, as if that would make me more of a complete person. Now that hope was crushed.

"What was his name?" I choked out, drying my eyes with the tissue that had been kindly handed to me.

"Gohan. Gohan Son. He was a great man, he was like a brother to me."

Gohan Son, my father. Despite the awful news, it felt good to finally know his name. I wished I could have known earlier. I wished that it was his last name I carried, Son, instead of the awful Satan.

"There's more to it than just that, Pan," Trunks said, now serious. "There's much more about your father that you must know."

I waited, and he sighed, running a hand back though his hair. "Okay, you're going to think this is crazy. Maybe I should start from the beginning?" He asked, more to himself than me.

Abruptly he turned, so he was looking directly into my face. "You caught a bullet today." Crap, I had forgotten about that, what would I say to him? Could I trust him at all?

He laughed, "You look worried! Don't be, your secrets are safe with me. You and I are of the same kind, if I were to tell anyone about you, I'd be shooting myself in the foot." As I stared at him in confusion he added, "not that that would do any damage."

"What...?"

"You're an alien." He stated simply, as if he were informing me of the weather.

"Wh...WHAT?"

"Hmm, perhaps I should have started from the beginning," he mused, "You're actually only a quarter alien, by the way. Gohan was half, like me."

"_Alien_," I said in a disbelieving tone, this man had lost his marbles.

Suddenly he stood up and took a step back. "Can't you remember the way I transformed? I'll show you again, then." The blinding light flashed, and he was the golden angel again. "See?" he asked, "No human could do this."

He let the gold disappear, and walked over to the end of the bed. Putting one hand on his head, he used the other to pick up the bed, with me still on it, effortlessly. "I doubt any normal human could do this either," he said, waving the bed up and down. Setting it back down, he came to sit in front of me again, his blue eyes boring into mine.

"I can run faster than any car. I can jump higher than a human could imagine possible. I'm stronger than any 'superman' or 'hulk'. I have advanced hearing, sight, smell. I'm just like you, aren't I?"

My heart was racing at a million miles an hour. I had wanted answers, now I had them. I wasn't like other humans, because I wasn't a human. It sounded crazy, but deep down I knew there was truth to this madness.

"I'm an alien?" I asked, wanting more explanation.

"Saiyan. That's what we're called. You are one quarter Saiyan, three quarters human. You're grandfather, Goku Son, was sent to this planet as a baby."

"Saiyan," I repeated. "Why? Why are there aliens here? Are there more? Is half the world not even human?"

He sighed again, running his hand through his hair. That had to be one of his habits. "You and I, as far as we know, are the only Saiyans left in the entire universe. The home planet was destroyed, around fifty years ago now. It killed most of the Saiyans, only a few males survived. Your grandfather and my father were among the lucky ones who weren't on the planet when it happened."

"How can you destroy a planet?" I asked, "by a huge asteroid or something?"

"That's what everyone thought," Trunks replied, "but it turned out it was blown up by an evil alien, who hated Saiyans. He's long gone, though." He looked at me again, his eyes serious. "Saiyans were not good people. They were planet pirates, travelling the universe, killing people, wiping worlds of their populations so that they could on sell the planets. You're grandfather was sent here in the hope that he would grow up to kill all earthlings."

"Saiyans used to brainwash the babies, they programmed them to kill," he continued. "But your grandfather hit his head when he was an infant, and he forgot all about being a Saiyan. He grew up to be a hero, the greatest martial artist that ever lived. He didn't even realise he wasn't human until his brother showed up, when your dad was four."

"You're not some kind of pirate, are you?" I asked, suddenly fearful from what he had told me.

"Of course not! I'm not evil! I've spent my whole life saving people!" He exclaimed, obviously a little offended that I had considered the fact.

"Sorry," I said to him, "this is just a lot of info to absorb. Its not every day you find out your grandfather came from outer space. I'm actually surprised I even believe you, I must be crazy."

"You're not. I know its hard to handle, I can't imagine what it would be like only finding this out at your age, you must be, what, fifteen? I've known my whole life, being a Saiyan seems normal to me. It helped having Gohan there to guide me, though."

"I'm sixteen!" I retorted, pouting. I hated when people thought I was younger than I really was. Just because I was only five feet tall and had stopped growing.

Trunks laughed heartily, and I found myself smiling. It was very hard to be mad at someone who had such charisma and good looks. "I didn't mean any offence," he said, "I just thought sixteen would be too old, 'cos that would have made Gohan fourteen when he...ah...you know. I can't believe it myself, it's totally out of character."

"My mum did tell me one thing about my father, even though she wouldn't give me his name. She said he was a bad boy."

"Really? I didn't think he was. Maybe he just went off the rails for a while, I'll ask my mum. You should meet her anyway."

I was going to meet the Bulma Briefs? "Hey, is your mum Saiyan?"

He laughed again. "No way, she's one hundred percent human. My father was the Saiyan one. In fact, he was the Prince of all Saiyans. He would have been King had the planet not blown up."

"You're royalty? That's so cool! What was my grandpa, anything good?"

"No, actually, your grandfather was a low class Saiyan, he was meant to be the weakest of the lot. That's why they sent him as a baby, and to a place like Earth. Humans are weaklings." The way he kept referring to humans and Saiyans kept surprising me, it was like there was 'us' and 'them'. Life was less complicated when I thought aliens were a crazy myth.

We walked down the long corridor, passing countless doors on the way. How did they ever manage to live in this place? I was sure I'd get lost if ever left alone in here. Finally, we reached a room that appeared to be a living room. On one of the couches, sat a middle-aged woman with blue hair. Even at her age, she was still beautiful.

She looked up, "Did you tell her?" she asked her son, her eyes flickering over to me.

"Yes, she knows about Gohan, and Saiyans. I was hoping you could tell her more about Goku."

"Of course," she said sweetly, standing up and walking towards us. "My name's Bulma, its so wonderful to meet you," she said as she offered me her hand. I shook it, smiling back.

"Its an honour to meet you, Ms Briefs," I said, still in awe that I was actually in the company of such famous people.

"Oh nonsense," she said, "Its an honour to meet you. You the descendant of Goku, you won't believe how happy I am to know Gohan left a child."

"You seriously won't," Trunks added, "I'm really surprised you didn't wake up from all of her screaming when the DNA results came through."

I giggled again, one hand scratching my head.

"Kami!" Bulma exclaimed, "You've got Goku's nervous habit!" So my grandfather was where I got the nervous giggling from. It was one thing I wish I hadn't inherited, it was so embarrassing.

We sat down, and Bulma proceeded to tell me all about her history with Goku Son, from when he was a little boy right up to when he died. I was happy to find out that I still had a grandmother living, Chi Chi, and her father, the Ox King.

"Are you free this Saturday?" Bulma asked. "We could go visit them at Mt Paozu, I've been meaning to go there for sometime now anyway."

"Sure, I'm free then. Um, should I tell my mum about all of this?"

Trunks and Bulma exchanged glances. "Better not," Bulma answered, "we'll work out a better time to tell her. I hope you don't mind me asking, but was it just a one-night stand that your parents had, or did you mum date Gohan? If they were together for w while, I think your mother would have at least a bit of an idea that he wasn't your average human."

"Uh..." I stuttered, the heat rushing to my face. "I think they were together for a while, but she never tells me anything about it."

"I better get you home," Trunks cut in, saving me from any further embarrassment. "Do you wanna fly in a plane, or go the organic way?"

"Organic way?" I questioned.

"Sure, you know," he said, and pointed to his feet. I looked down to see that he was levitating off the ground, slowly rising higher and higher.

"You can _fly_!" I exclaimed, shock plastered all over my face.

"I'll teach you sometime," he replied with a grin, "but for now I can carry you. I fly way faster than any plane, we'll be in Orange Star City in twenty minutes if we go this way."

"O...okay," I answered quietly, blushing slightly at the fact that he wanted to carry me. Before I had a chance to say anything else, he swept me up in his arms and turned to Bulma.

"I won't be long, so don't worry, okay." With that he flew out the window and into the air, the sudden change in height making me more than a little giddy.

"Don't fly into any airplanes!" I heard Bulma call as we soared away from Capsule Corp.; higher and higher until we were near the clouds.

My life had suddenly become interesting.

* * *

**AN:** I forgot to mention this earlier, some of my spelling may seem a little different because I'm from New Zealand.

Thanks to those who have reviewed so far, hope you all enjoy this chapter. :)


	4. Family History

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z**

Family History

"So my mother has already gone ahead to Mt Paozu," Trunks informed me as he flew though the air on a sunny Saturday morning. I was cradled in his arms again, my arms locked tightly around his neck, my face buried in his left shoulder. I couldn't understand how he seemed to be unaffected by the wind when it made my eyes water as it whipped my face.

"Don't worry," he said, understanding my frustration at not being able to lift my head from the shelter of his body for more than a few seconds at a time. "You get used to the wind eventually, once you learn to fly it won't be long before you can handle it."

"You're really going to teach me how to fly?" I asked, amazed that this busy man would take the time to teach me a few tricks.

"Of course," he replied, "I'll teach you more than just that, I'm going to train you to be a fighter, if that's okay with you." He looked down at me, eyes pleading me to say yes. Why did he want to train me? I'd never be as strong as him.

"Okay," I answered softly. I wasn't about to admit it to him, but I was extremely nervous about doing any kind of fighting. I knew Saiyans were apparently born to do just that, but I had serious doubts about my own skills. I would probably fail miserably.

Trunks let go of me with his left arm and I screeched, tightening the hold on his neck. "Gees Pan," he complained, "you sound like my mother when you make that noise. You should just relax, I was only checking the time on my watch." He wanted me to _relax_, when we were hurtling through the air?

He must have recognised that I was still anxious, because he looked down at, a protective look in his eye. "I promise I will never drop you Pan. Right now, you're in the safest place in the entire world."

"Your arms?"

"Yea, I'm a Super Saiyan, remember?" As if his words weren't enough to remind me, he transformed again, the golden spikes of his hair suddenly defying gravity. At the same time his speed increased, forcing me to put my head back into the crook of his neck so that I could actually breathe easy.

Of course breathing easily was easier said than done in my current situation. Having myself pressed so close to him made the butterflies already present in my stomach go into a frenzy. His scent was driving me insane; it was so sweet and delicious that I couldn't stop the less than appropriate thoughts that came creeping into my head. I hoped that he couldn't hear the increase in my heart rate over the sound of the wind, and I was glad that he could at least not see the blush that had formed on my cheeks from being in this position.

Trunks had explained to me on the flight home on Monday about Super Saiyans, so I now knew the golden state that I had mistaken as an angel didn't come without hard work. I also knew that being a Super Saiyan gave you immense power, '_enough to destroy entire galaxies_'Trunks had said.

He had also explained more about Saiyan biology to me. It was good to finally understand more about my body, even if some of it was a little embarrassing to hear. Still, I finally had an explanation to why I had a brown furry patch on my lower back; it was apparently the remnants of a tail. That means it must have been removed when I was a baby, so my mother obviously had some idea that I was not ordinary in more than just strength.

Trunks had told me the moon had been destroyed to stop my father from transforming into a huge ape, and that had it still existed, there was a likelihood that my tail would have grown back and I too would have transformed. That idea scared me, the fact that I could literally turn into a bloodthirsty monster, with no control over myself.

Time passed quickly, and sooner than I thought possible we were descending over the 439 district. It was beautiful, absolutely stunning. It was clear from the aerial view that this place had never been touched by the androids; on a planet now covered in countless craters, this place stood apart. It was as if time had stood still here, a small reminder of the way the world used to be in far more innocent times.

The terror was something that Trunks and I had in common, along with everyone else from our generation. Our childhoods were surrounded by fear; living in the cities you were constantly worried that every day could be your last. Even though my mother had tried to shelter me from the panic as best as she could, there was no way to avoid it, every attack was broadcast for the world to see. More than once we had been forced to retreat to the underground shelters built in preparation under Orange Star City, praying that the androids would not find us.

What I still found hard to comprehend was that my father had fought against the androids many times, seeing it as his duty to protect the Earth as best as he could. What was even harder to grasp was the fact that Trunks, the man who was holding me at this very moment, actually beat them. Trunks seemed so gentle and kind, and although I knew he was a powerful warrior, it was still hard to imagine him fighting. Part of me was curious to see that side of him, but another part was afraid.

Trunks had now stopped completely. I looked down to see us hovering above a small house, a mix of domes and more ancient styles of architecture.

"That's it, the home of your grandmother," Trunks said. "I've only been here once before that I can remember, a very long time ago," he added, and I looked up to see him far away in thoughts, obviously remembering events from his past.

As he lowered to the ground the front door on the little house flew open, and a small, middle-aged woman ran out. As Trunks set me down she stopped, standing five feet from us. Her face was a mixture of many emotions, sadness, longing and hope, to name a few. After a silent moment she spoke, her voice so low that had I been a regular human, I would not have heard it.

"Are you really my Gohan's? You're really my grandbaby?"

It was evident that the poor woman had been through a lot. Having her husband die, then later her son, had taken a huge toll on her. Even though Bulma was the older in age, it was my grandmother who was older in appearance.

"Yes," I replied, "I'm Pan, and I'm so happy to meet you." By now I was trying to hold back tears myself, this whole ordeal making me more emotional than I would have liked.

We stood there, after that, awkwardly staring at each other, and unsure of what to do next. Finally, I took a step forward, and before I had time to react she had grabbed me, her arms wrapped tightly around my smaller frame. I couldn't hold the tears in any longer, and they slid silently down my cheeks. My grandmother sobbed more audibly, her body shaking and her weight leaning on me for support.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, holding each other, but eventually she pulled away, looking into my tear-stained face.

"My kami," she whispered, "you are such a pretty little thing, I can't believe we found you, I'm so happy to have you here." I nodded in agreement, and she smiled, her eyes shining in true joy.

"Chi Chi," came a booming voice from behind her, and I looked over her shoulder to see a huge man standing by the house. "Are you going to let me see her any time soon?" he asked, chuckling, "I want to meet my great-granddaughter."

He was my great-grandfather? That giant of a man? How did I end up so small? Then again, I was glad I had not inherited his wide girth.

He lumbered over to us, and I had to crane my neck in order to look into his face. His dark eyes were happy behind his glasses, and a wide smile stretched across his old face.

"Hello sweetheart," he greeted me, "people call me the Ox King, but you can just call me grandpa."

"Hi grandpa," I replied, smiling. He may have been a giant, but he wasn't scary. Instead, he made me feel very warm. As my grandmother did, he hugged me, lifting me clean into the air so my legs dangled down to his knees.

"Dad!" my grandmother yelled, "don't crush her!"

"Nonsense Chi Chi," he said, placing me back on the ground, "she's Gohan's. Can't you tell how powerful she is?"

That surprised me. I knew I was strong, but I didn't think people would be able to tell straight away. Was it that obvious that I was different?

My grandmother huffed, wiping away the last of her tears. "She's strong because she's my grandchild," she said. "I was in the World Martial Arts Tournament finals you know," she said to me, "I fought you're grandfather and he proposed to me there, it was so romantic!"

"I'm sure it was," I replied, trying to figure out how someone could equate fighting with romance.

"Come inside," my grandmother said, taking my hand, "you can just call me Nana by the way. You come in too, Trunks. Your mother's been helping me make lunch, we always need a lot of food when there's Saiyans around." That was true, I did eat a lot. It was hard at school, because I could only eat the same amount as everyone else or they would think I was weird. I'd always make myself a huge meal when I got home to compensate instead.

"Hey kiddo!" Bulma called to me from the kitchen as I stepped into the house, "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks," I lied. The truth was that I felt sick with nerves, I was a naturally shy person, and meeting new people always freaked me out. Trunks must have sensed my nervousness, because he flashed me a reassuring smile and whispered low enough that only I could hear, "You're doing fine, Pan." How was it that he could read me so easily?

The lunch was delicious, Nana was an amazing cook. I ate until my stomach felt like it would explode, and the ladies joked about my eating habits.

We talked for hours about everything, Nana questioning me on my school, my grades, and what I wanted to be. Nana brought out her old photo albums, and I was able to put faces to the names I had heard on Monday. My grandfather Goku was a handsome man, as was my father. I was a bit surprised by the appearance of the other fighters, Bulma had failed to mention that Tien had three eyes, or that Krillin was so short.

Most of the photos were happy, but towards the end of the albums the mood changed dramatically. There were photos of people dressed in all black, and Nana told me that they were taken at her husband's funeral.

"The beginning of the end of the world," Bulma commented upon seeing the funeral photos.

"Who's that?" I asked, pointing to a figure standing apart from the group, under a tree. He wasn't very tall for a man, but he was handsome in a dark sort of way, even with the scowl on his face.

"That's Vegeta," Bulma replied softly, sadness evident in her eyes. I realised then just how much both my nana and Bulma missed their partners, even though they died over two decades ago. It was heartbreaking that all of these warriors had been cut down in their prime.

We also discussed my mother's family, and when I told Nana the name of my grandfather a funny look crossed her face.

"Hurcule Satan, you mean the winner of the last tournament before the androids arrived?" she asked.

"No, grandpa doesn't fight. Mum would have told me if he won a tournament!" I laughed.

"But your mother's name is Videl Satan, isn't it?" she persisted.

"Yea," I replied, "what does that have to do with anything?"

She got up after that, leaving the living room for a while. I could hear her searching through something, mumbling to herself. Finally, she entered again.

"Read this," she told me, handing me an old sports magazine.

There on the cover was my grandfather Hurcule, standing in the middle of a fighting arena. Shocked, I flipped quickly through the magazine, trying to find the article about him. It was titled 'Father and daughter duo take out titles' and underneath was a picture of my young mother, aged ten, standing next to her father. Both were wearing fighting uniforms.

"This can't be true," I said to myself, frowning in confusion. "My mother wouldn't keep this from me?" I said, looking to my nana.

"I'm surprised she has," nana replied, "She obviously didn't want you fighting. I'm sure she's just been trying to protect you."

I stared at the picture, dumbfounded. I felt sick, it seemed like my whole life had been a lie. I didn't even know my own mother.

I couldn't believe she had kept such a huge thing from me! She was a _fighter_! Grandpa too! All of my family were fighters and I didn't even know until today. Furious, I decided then I would train with Trunks. If I had fighting blood from all sides, I was going to be the best damn fighter around. Screw my mother and her secrets, I'd make sure all her lies were for nothing.

"Pan," Bulma began, breaking me from my thoughts, "sometimes mothers do things that seem irrational. You have to understand that a mother would do anything to protect her child, even lie to them. My guess is that Videl knew at least a bit about Gohan's fighting. When he started challenging the androids it was on the news. She probably didn't want you to grow up to do the same, she would have wanted you safe. If I could have stopped Trunks from fighting the androids, I would have too."

Bulma's theory made sense, but it didn't dispel the pain I felt from being lied to all these years. It made me realise how little of myself I actually knew, and it was hard not to blame someone for it.

"Someone is going to have to speak to Videl about all of this," Trunks cut in. "I think you should, mum, and maybe you too, Mrs Son. You could explain to her about Saiyans, and that Pan needs to train. If she doesn't learn to control her power, she could be dangerous."

"I'm dangerous?" I asked, worried that Trunks thought I could hurt someone.

"You could be, right now. Its just your power is connected to your emotions; when you get upset, your ki skyrockets. If you were to hit a human at that level, they'd be seriously injured."

I didn't know what ki was, and I didn't understand what he meant by 'your power'. Reading my emotions again, he smiled. "I'll explain about ki on the way home, okay?"

Nana and Bulma decided that they would visit my mother the next day, and that I was not to tell her they were coming. "We don't want her getting upset at you, sweetie," nana had told me, "just let me handle it." Because of the arrangements, Bulma decided to stay the night at Mt Paozu.

I kissed goodbye both nana and grandpa ox, before Trunks swept me off my feet again. "Make sure you visit again soon!" grandpa called as Trunks took to the sky. I took one last look at Mt Paozu, and then it disappeared into the distance.

Trunks was silent during the flight back, but stopped above the forest thirty kilometres out of Orange Star City. He dropped to the ground suddenly, causing me to grip even tighter to him. "Trust me," he reminded me after my reaction.

"Why did you stop here?" I asked, perplexed about why he would want to visit the forest.

"Because you run here all the time," he replied smoothly, shocking me again. Was he some kind of freaky stalker?

"H...How did you know?" I stuttered, wide eyed. I never told anyone what I did around here.

He laughed at that, his perfect grin making my knees feel weak. "First of all, your ki, the life force that all people have, is strong. Very strong. I, along with a few others on this planet, can sense ki. For the last few months I've had to come into Orange Star City for work, and every now and then I'd sense your ki. I tried to track you, thinking you could be an enemy, but your ki always disappeared before I could hone in on the source." He paused for a moment, running a hand through his hair.

"I finally realised that whoever it was, they came to this area often, but not by air. So I walked through here myself, and I caught a distinct scent. Your scent. Its still here, you come here so often, this forest smells like you."

"You think I stink?" I asked, blushing furiously.

"No," he replied, pink beginning to appear on his cheeks, "you smell...uh...you smell quite...nice, actually."

"Oh." Was all I said in return, suddenly finding my feet much more interesting.

"Anyway," he said, oh so subtly changing the subject, "the day I met you, you're ki got higher than I had ever sensed from you before, I could tell you were in distress. That's why I was a Super Saiyan; I had to get to you as fast as I could. Believe me, I was surprised when I realised it was coming from a schoolgirl. But when you looked up at me, I saw Gohan's features in you, and then I realised how similar your ki was to his. I knew you had to be related."

That explained the look he had given me after I had shown him the bullet. He had looked like he had figured out something really important.

"Lets run back to the city," he said, grinning at me, "I'll race you!"

With that he was off, speeding through the forest at an incredible speed. "Hey!" I yelled, "Wait up!" Tensing the muscles in my legs, I took after him, revelling in the freedom I felt as the wind blew my hair. The trees flashed past me in a blur, but I was never worried about hitting anything. I had run through this forest many times before, it was the only place I felt I could truly be myself. In public I was just an ordinary girl; here, I was the creature who ruled the forest.

Trunks slowed a little until I caught up with him, then we ran side by side at the same pace. It didn't take more than a few minutes until we reached the city.

We walked at human speed through the streets that led to my house, making small talk along the way. At the start of my road, we stopped.

"My mum would freak if she saw me hanging out with a guy," I told him truthfully, "I think we better say goodbye here."

"Do you think she would still freak after meeting my mother?" he asked, his eyes worried. "I was kinda hoping that I'd be able to come to you're house tomorrow too, I think it would be a good idea if I met your mum. I hope you don't think I'm rude for inviting myself or anything."

"Oh!" I said, surprised, "You can come tomorrow! Please do!" I replied. "You're not rude at all!"

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then, Pan," he smiled, his grin lighting up his face.

"Yea, see you tomorrow," I said, butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

I turned and walked down my road, looking back over my shoulder as I reached my house. He was already gone, and my stomach did a flip.

I didn't like what was happening to me. I was only sixteen, and he was already twenty-one. Or twenty-three, if you counted his time in the past dimension. I was just a silly schoolgirl, he was a successful businessman and scientist. He would never be interested in me.

But I was falling for him.

* * *

AN: One of the reviews asked if Cell caused much damage/disrupted people, since I mentioned him at the beginning of the second chapter. My answer is no, I figured Trunks would have fought him as soon as possible, to stop more people from getting hurt (since Trunks was already expecting his arrival in the future timeline). I hope I made it more clear about the damage done by the androids in this chapter though, I know I didn't really mention it in the earlier chapters.

Also, I have a question. Should I keep it all in Pan's point of view, or give Trunks a voice too? If I were to do one from his POV, he would have the entire chapter.

Thank you to those who have reviewed so far, I really appreciate it.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)


	5. Trunks: Dreams

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

**AN: This chapter is written from Trunks' point of view.**

Dreams

I truly am a disturbed person. I think I've finally come to accept that I'll never feel normal. I'll never feel like everything is okay.

My whole life was based around the androids. Right from the beginning, they were what defined my existence. My first memory is of asking my mother why I didn't have a daddy like the other kids had. _'Because the androids took your daddy away_,' she told me.

It's been over three years since I destroyed the androids. My life to that point had been focused on only one thing, freeing the world from their terror. I never once thought about what I would do once I had accomplished that goal.

I had thought that a huge weight would have been lifted off my shoulders. If they were gone, I would be free. I realised the day after I beat them that I had no idea what being free meant.

The fear that the world was in danger did not go away.

I blamed this on Cell; I knew he was coming, so I still trained every day anticipating his arrival. Then I beat him.

That was six months ago. The fear still remains.

I can't even pinpoint what it is exactly that I'm afraid of; all I know is that I'm _paranoid_. So I continue to train, six days a week, on top of my busying work schedule. I know I'm the only one out there that could save the world, if something bad were to happen.

Is that the right way to live my life? To constantly be checking over my shoulder, looking out for high powers, just waiting for someone to attack? If nothing ever happens, what a waste all of this would be. But if I'm not prepared, innocent people might die, and it would be my fault for not training enough.

I think I finally understand my father. He was always so agitated; he never truly seemed at peace. I didn't understand then, when I saw him. I thought he should have moved on, he was past his dark days. Frieza was dead and he was free.

Now I understand, because I'm exactly the same.

It doesn't matter that they're gone; they're still there. The smallest things remind you of the darkness, and there is no escape.

Every night without fail, these thoughts accompany me to sleep.

_There she was again, the same as always. She looked so peaceful, lying there in her forest. Her black hair fanned out around her head, framing perfect face, peaceful in slumber. I just wanted to have a closer look, she was so beautiful. I tried to be quiet, but she heard me, and her eyes opened, focusing on my own. They were magnificent, pools of deep blue, shining in the dappled light._

_I thought that she would be angry that I woke her, but she smiled at me, and I felt as though I would explode with happiness._

_She got up, her graceful movements accentuating her beauty. She must have liked me, because she laughed, and took my hand, pulling me up into a nearby tree._

_She smiled again, her pink cheeks making her even more stunning than before, and leaned her face towards mine. I wanted so much to taste her plump lips, to feel her skin against my own._

_A mere inch from my face, she froze. I looked behind me to see what had startled her, and there they were, the Androids._

_Of course I wasn't afraid. I had long surpassed them in strength, and would defeat them easily. But when I tried to move, my body would not work. I was stuck, trapped sitting on the branch by some kind of force._

_They didn't even acknowledge me, and in that moment I truly felt fear._

_"Run!" I screamed at the beautiful girl. "You have to leave now!"_

_She didn't move. Frozen in fear, she stared at them as they slowly advanced on her._

_Android Seventeen hit her, and she crashed to the ground with a thud. Her eyes looked up at me, pleading for my help._

_"I'm trying!" I yelled. "I can't get free! I can't help you! You have to run! You have to fight back!"_

_He stepped on her arm, it cracked easily and her face contorted in pain._

_"Fight!" I screamed, "You have to fight!"_

_The android smirked, looking at me. "You know its no use," he said, "she doesn't know how."_

_Horrified, I watched as he stepped on her throat._

"PAN!"

Covered in sweat and breathing heavily, it took me a few moments to realise that it was just a dream, the same one I had been having all week.

I was used to having bad dreams. I had them almost every night, and the androids were almost always part of them. But ever since I saved her, the dreams had taken a different turn. Now I was no longer the victim, instead Pan was the target. For some reason, that made the dreams even more terrifying than usual.

Lying back on my pillow, I let out a breath slowly. It was Sunday morning, my day off, and I was allowed to sleep in. Despite that, it was only seven now.

Rolling over, I pulled the sheets over my head and tried not to think. If I did that, I'd be able to get back to sleep.

I was going to see Pan today.

It was a simple thought, and shouldn't have bothered me in the slightest, but as soon as it entered my head the familiar sick feeling was back in my stomach. It was as if I was afraid to see her, but dying to, at the same time. I worried about what she thought of me, I worried that she might not like me at all. I was sick with nerves.

"Fuck!" I yelled to myself, ripping the sheets of me. "Get a grip!"

I put my hands over my face and tried to calm myself down. I focused on only my breathing, the same as when I meditated for training. It seemed to work, and I moved my hands away so that I could look around my room. In the far corner a door led to my bathroom, the door next to that opened up into my wardrobe. My TV was hidden behind the voice-activated cupboard on the opposite wall to the bed, and to my left sat a brown leather couch, a few feet away from the door.

The pale walls were bare apart from a few photos, and it was one in particular that caught my eye. There Gohan stood in the fighting uniform of his father, looking stern and strong next to a much smaller version of me.

Gohan. My friend. My mentor. My brother.

After all these years, I still missed him. Growing up without a father, Gohan had been the person I looked to as a role model. How much of his life did I not know?

I can't believe you have a daughter, Gohan.

And there I was, back to thinking about her again. I groaned and rolled out of bed, deciding it was unlikely I would get any more sleep. Grabbing a new pair of underwear, I headed for the shower.

When I had sensed a huge power level in Orange Star City, Pan was the last person I had expected to find. From the moment she first looked at me, her blue eyes pleading for me to help her, I knew there was something different about her. Not in terms of race- it wasn't the obvious Saiyan that I could sense in her- it was something else entirely.

As I watched her sleep, waiting for mother to process the DNA results, I couldn't help but marvel at her beauty. I knew she was much younger than me, it was obvious from the school uniform, but that didn't stop me from looking. She had a pretty face, perfectly proportioned. Her lips were large, and when she slept they remained slightly parted in a cute pout, their colour contrasting with her pale skin in a way that mesmerised me.

No other girl has ever caught my attention the way she did. I found myself hanging off her every word, and wanting to promise her the world. I had known her for no more than a few hours when I offered to teach her how to fly, and carried her in my arms back to her house.

Part of what drew me to her was her strength. Not the physical strength, but the strength that she proved she had by how well she handled everything. Most people would have flipped out when told they were descended from aliens, she just took it in her stride. Hell, she even embraced it, asking me questions the entire way home on that first day.

That night I dreamt about her.

I felt guilty the next morning, having had a dream that at least started out erotic, about the daughter of my deceased friend. But no matter what I did, I couldn't get her off my mind. I spent all week counting down to Saturday, the day I would see her again. My work and training had suffered because of it, but I couldn't help it. Pan was like some crazy drug. One try and I was hooked for life.

As I continued my usual Sunday morning routine, I thought back over yesterday's events. She had looked even better in casual clothes rather than her uniform; her black hair tied in a cute pony, her curves accentuated by the tight fitting t-shirt and knee length shorts she wore.

She smelt amazing. I couldn't believe I made such a fool of myself, telling her she smelt 'quite nice'! She must think I'm some kind of pervert now, the way I've been acting around her. For a genius, I can be really stupid sometimes.

I know its wrong to find her so attractive, she's only sixteen. Still, I couldn't stop staring at her. The way she moved was so elegant, I loved the way her nose would wrinkle when she laughed, and the way that she would wave her arms around when trying to describe something. The sound of her voice was soothing, and every now and then she would look at me and smile, a little colour appearing on her cheeks.

I wish I knew how she felt. I can't tell if she sees me only as a friend, or wishes for something more. When I pick her up, her heart always races. She's always blushing, giggling and smiling, surely that had to be a good sign?

Of course I was jumping the gun. I'd seen her only twice. She probably didn't even consider me a friend, let alone a romantic interest. I was practically an old man to her. I was being ridiculous.

Besides, she was Gohan's daughter. Even if he didn't know she existed, it was still wrong. He wouldn't want me with his child, would he?

The sick feeling was still present in my stomach, despite my attempts to stop it by keeping busy. Looking at the clock, I saw that it was only quarter past eight, and mum wasn't planning on taking Chi Chi to see Pan til eleven. I myself wasn't going to go until at least twelve, I didn't want to be there when the shit hit the fan. Knowing my mother and Chi Chi, there could be trouble.

I ended up watching two DVDs to pass the time, although I hardly paid attention to what was happening. After that, I found some of the old home videos mum had and put them onto my laptop, capsulising it afterwards. I would show Pan the movies, they were all ones that included Gohan, and I was sure she'd like to see what he was like.

Unable to put it off any longer, I left Capsule Corp via a window, and went super towards Orange Star City.

When I arrived at Pan's house, I could already hear the raised voices coming from inside.

"You're lying!" A woman's voice I had never heard before spat. "Aliens do not exist! You are both crazy! You're not even Bulma Briefs, are you? You're just some crazy bitch that's escaped from an asylum! How dare you come here saying ridiculous things about my child! She's completely normal!"

That had to be Videl. I pitied her, anticipating my mother's retaliation to being called a 'crazy bitch'.

"I AM BULMA BRIEFS! _You_ are the crazy one, if you are so _blind_ that you can't see all the abilities you're own child has!" my mother shrieked. "I know you're in shock, but you have to understand what we're saying! Pan is one quarter Saiyan, because Goku was a Saiyan! You can't hide the truth from her! You have to let her be herself!"

"Look Videl," Chi Chi began, "you should have known better than to seduce my poor, innocent boy in the first place, you hussy! Now you have to deal with the consequences! Get used to the fact that you're child's a Saiyan, just like I did!"

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"NO!" Chi Chi yelled back. "You can't keep my grandchild away from me!"

I heard a slap, and my mother gasp, then some noises indicating that a fight had broken out. I decided it was best to intervene, and let myself inside the house. Chi Chi was wrestling with a woman I assumed to be Videl, both yelling profanities at each other.

"Hey, hey!" I said, pulling Chi Chi off the other woman, and stepping in between the two. "This isn't what Gohan would have wanted."

"Who the hell are you!" the woman- who I now realised looked very similar to Pan- spat at me.

"My name is Trunks Briefs," I said, using the tone I normally reserve for business meetings, "you've probably seen my picture in the media."

Videl stared at me after that, looking me up and down, her breath heaving from the fight with Chi Chi.

"Your mother claims that you're half alien, you know," she finally stated, her face pushed into a scowl.

"I know," I replied, "its the truth."

It was silent after that, and the minutes dragged by. Eventually, I realised Pan had been in a separate part of the house, but had now come creeping out, and was standing at the base of a stairwell.

"Mum," she began, "Mum I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. It explains everything. You know I'm different to other people. This makes sense. It makes sense to me, and I want to know my dad's family. I'm sick of hiding who I am, mum."

Videl stared at her daughter for a moment, then sat down on the couch nearest to her. "Please have a seat," she spoke to me, "would you like anything to drink."

Her sudden calmness surprised me, and although it appeared that she had given up, I was still weary that she could throw a fit any minute.

"No, thank you," I replied to her offer. Again the silence descended upon the room, and I looked to my mother for guidance. She made a face that could be interpreted as 'this is bad,' but didn't do anything else.

Finally, Pan came and sat down beside me, flashing me an apologetic smile as she did so. "Mum, Trunks has been teaching me lots about Saiyans. Its good, now I know why I do so many weird things."

I felt sorry for Pan that she would view herself as abnormal, referring to the things that came natural to her as 'weird'. They may have been weird to humans, but our abilities were natural for Saiyans, as normal as the need to breathe. No one had a right to make Pan feel any less because she was different.

"You're telling me, Pan," Videl began softly, "that you truly believe your grandfather was an alien sent here as a baby to blow up the world?"

"Yes." Pan replied, "but he hit his head! He was good after that! And he fit in enough, apart from the Saiyan tail. I have a patch where a tail used to be, mum. I was born with a tail, wasn't I?"

Videl stared at her hands after that, numbly chipping off some nail polish to pass time. Eventually, she spoke. "Yes, you had a tail. The nuns cut it off."

"Nuns?" I asked, confused.

"When my grandpa Hurcule found out mum was pregnant, he shipped her off to a convent until after I was born," Pan explained. "She wanted to tell my father about me, but she was afraid that if grandpa found out my dad's name, that my grandpa would kill my dad, since he was the martial arts champ at the time."

"I never told you that!" Videl said, shocked.

"Mum, I have special hearing. I heard you tell Ms. Briefs and Nana about that, even though I was in my room."

Videl's eyes widened, and she gasped audibly. I wondered how much of her child she really knew.

"What else can you do?" she asked.

Pan blushed, looking down at her hands, the same as her mother had done just before. "I can run really fast," she began, "faster than the fastest cars. I can jump higher than the tallest trees, I can swim really well too. I can see in the dark way better than humans, I think. I can smell things way better than a human can. Umm...Trunks can fly, he's going to teach me how."

"Fly? In an airplane?"

"No, Fly. You know, like Superman does, but for real," Pan explained to her mother.

"You're going to learn how to fly like Superman? That's what you're telling me?"

"Yes."

Videl leaned back against the couch, sighing in exasperation and rubbing her forehead. "I've been a bad mother, haven't I?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"No!" Pan replied, "You're the best mum in the world! You know that! You're not a bad mother, not at all."

"But I completely ignored all of this, I denied all of you abilities, even though it was clear that you have them. I love you, Pan, no matter what you can do, but I don't think I've shown it very well. I'm sorry, baby." By now the tears were welling up in Videl's eyes, and Pan's for that matter, and I couldn't help but wish I wasn't in a room full of emotional females at this point in time.

"I love you, mama, I know you love me too," Pan sobbed, "You don't care that I'm an alien?"

"Of course not, baby," Videl replied, pulling Pan into her arms. "I'd love you even if you had green skin, or could turn into a giant monster," she laughed.

"Uhh, about that," my mother cut in before I could stop her.

"Mother!" I whispered back, "Now's not the time for that!"

"What, what is it?" Videl questioned, and my mother looked to me apologetically.

"Well, its just good this planet doesn't have a moon anymore, that's all. You see, Saiyans- when they have their tails- kinda turn into giant destructive apes when they look at the full moon," my mother explained to Videl.

"Giant apes?" came the reply.

"Yes. About as tall as a skyscraper. But we don't have to worry, there's no moon here now."

Videl looked down at Pan, her eyebrows furrowed. She then looked to me, her eyes examining me from head to toe. "Is there anything else about Saiyans?" she finally asked.

"There's Super Saiyan," I replied, "but Pan can't do that, she may never be able to. It comes from hard training. It looks like this." I powered up, feeling the rush of adrenalin and energy and power that accompanies the Super Saiyan form. "Basically," I continued, aware of the fact that her eyes were now wide in shock and that her heart rate had just gone through the roof, "it means I'm much more powerful in this form."

"Y...your hair!" She stuttered. "What the hell?"

"It looks cool, ay mum?" Pan asked her. "I thought Trunks was an angel the first time I saw him. He saved my life, mum."

"I didn't save her life," I explained, "she saved herself. But she was in shock after and fainted, so I took her back to Capsule Corp. It was this last Monday."

"Wait, what are you talking about? Saving Pan? What happened?" Videl questioned, acting just the same as my mother did if she ever found me with any sort of injury.

Pan and I spent the next fifteen minutes telling her what happened that day, interrupting each other at random points to add in more details to the story. It was interesting to hear Pan's views as she explained to her mother the way she felt when she found out about Gohan's death, and how it was to find out she was part Saiyan. I could see that despite the troubles, Videl and Pan had a good relationship, and relied on each other a lot for support.

After that, Pan and I excused ourselves, leaving it up to the parents to sort things out. It still felt strange to me to think of Videl as one of the 'parents' when she didn't look much older than me, but the way Pan talked about her made me realise she was very much like any other mum, despite the young age.

With our Saiyan hearing, we still heard everything from upstairs, so we knew that the ladies had gotten over their spat and were now onto gossiping about men. I tuned out after that, not wanting to hear their conversation that was obviously meant for female ears only.

"Wow," I said as I stepped into Pan's bedroom. "You really like stuffed animals, don't you?" She had enough soft toys to cover her whole bed with, although the majority of them were sat in a corner on the floor.

"Yea," she giggled, her hand scratching the back of her head, just like Gohan or Goku would do.

I sat down on the single bed, and motioned for her to do the same. I wondered briefly if she could tell how much I liked her, I was sure I wasn't being very discrete, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her.

There is no doubt in my mind now; Pan is the most beautiful girl I have ever met in my entire life. Although I can't pinpoint exactly what it is, there is something about her that draws me to her, maybe it's her personality, or her intelligence, or something different. Whatever it is, it makes her irresistible.

We talked about the usual things, her school subjects, hobbies, favourite movies and music. I was surprised to find out how similar out tastes were, I would have never pinned Pan for a girl who could appreciate alternative rock and heavy metal. Her CD collection wasn't that large though, and I made a note to give her some more CDs that I was sure she would like to hear.

What I liked the most as the fact that when I was with Pan, I didn't think about all the bad things. Its like she lifted the paranoia off me by her mere presence alone. Sill, I remembered the dream from this morning, and knew I had to do something.

"Pan," I began, "We've got to start training you, would you be free every Saturday? I can teach you how to fly next weekend."

"Yea, I'm free," she replied, looking down at her hands, her cheeks tinted pink. Was she blushing? Did she feel the same way for me as I did for her?

I knew I was bad for making her think that the only reason she needed training was because she was dangerous. Of course she was a little dangerous, she had really messed up the unarmed man in the alley on Monday, and she had told me that was by accident.

The danger to others wasn't the main reason I wanted to train her, though. It was because I was worried, about her own safety. The dreams I kept having fuelled the fear, and made me realise that if I wasn't there to protect her, Pan had better be able to protect herself. That was the real reason I wanted her to train. I wanted her to be strong enough so that I could be happy knowing she'd be okay in any situation.

"Lets trade cell phone numbers," I suggested, "then I can text you what time on Saturday, and we can arrange all the details." I felt bad, using training as an excuse to get her number. Of course I would use it for that purpose, but I was sure her number would come in handy other times, too.

"Sure," she replied, her voice more of a high-pitched squeak than before. I couldn't help but smile when I saw the way she fumbled through the contents on her desk, trying to find her phone, while the blush on her cheeks continuously deepened.

It wasn't long after that that we heard our mothers ending their conversation, and my mother calling up the stairs for me. I said goodbye to Pan, and she followed me down the stairs to say goodbye to mum and Chi Chi. I thanked Videl for being hospitable, even though really I was thinking about how rough the visit had begun, and then we were all out the door.

Chi Chi decided to come back with us to Capsule Corp for the night, and I flew the plane home while the two women gossiped more in the back. I was vaguely aware that they were scrutinising every detail about Videl, but my mind was far too preoccupied to pay any real attention. Instead, I was thinking about Pan again.

It seemed she was all I could think about these days.

* * *

**AN:** I don't feel so good about this chapter, it was harder for me to do Trunks' POV than I originally though it would be, but I think it was important for me to give you a taste of what was going through his head. I'm interested to hear what you thought of this, so please review! (I feel bad about asking, but good reviews are really helpful in telling me if I'm on the right track or not.

Anyway, thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter, I hope you all enjoy this one! :)


	6. Past, Present and Future

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Past, Present and Future

Less than two weeks ago my life had been relatively normal. Sure, I had superhuman strength and everything, but apart from that I spent my time studying, reading, or watching TV. Now, this Saturday morning, I was standing outside my house, waiting for the handsome half-alien heir to Capsule Corporation to show up, so he could teach me how to fly.

I sometimes wondered if I was just in a really good dream, the kind that seems so real that it isn't until you wake up that you realise it was just your imagination. I really hope that isn't the case, because I quite like where my life seems to be going now. Even though all these new things scare me a little, and even though I don't really like having butterflies constantly in my tummy, thanks to the inhumanly perfect Trunks, my life is now interesting.

It was surprising how quickly things could change.

"Boo!" came a noise from behind me, and I jumped, squealing and falling to the ground. There, beside me, Trunks stood, a devilish smirk plastered on his face.

"That was not funny," I growled at him, "you gave me a heart attack!" At that he laughed, and I grinned back, unable to say mad at the gorgeous man.

"Sorry," he said, still chuckling to himself, "I couldn't resist. Besides, its your fault for letting your guard down."

"But I'm at my own house," I whined, "why should I have my guard up here?" He frowned at that, looking up into the distance for a while before answering.

"If I could, I'd tell you that you could forget about things like that at home. But I can't, Pan. The world is a dangerous place, no matter where you are. If anyone comes to this planet seeking destruction, they'll get you no matter where you are. The best way to stay safe is to train hard, and keep an eye out."

I nodded, glancing up at Trunks, who was still staring out to space. Usually, he seemed happy, and you wouldn't think anything major had ever happened to him. It was in moments like these, as brief and uncommon as they were, that I realised how deeply Trunks had been affected by the androids.

I felt sorry for him, for all the pain and destruction he had witnessed first hand. He had grown up without a father, too, and I knew how lonely that could make you feel. I wished I could comfort him; I wanted to put my arms around him, and hold him tight. Instead, I settled for placing a hand on his arm.

He looked down at me after that, and we stared into each other's eyes in silence. I don't know what he saw in mine, but in his I saw loneliness, as if he had been left behind by all of his friends.

"I'm here," I whispered softly, "I'm not going anywhere."

He drew in a deep breath, the pain evident in his eyes. Then, in a movement too quick for me to see, he grabbed me. His arms circled my body tightly, as if he were really afraid I would leave, while he buried his head into my hair and neck. Slowly, I moved my arms so that they wrapped around him, and pressed my face deeper into his shoulder, so that I could smell his skin.

I could feel his breath on my neck, and his quick heartbeat pounding against my own chest. I rubbed his back softly, my arms working more on instinct than anything else. Before I realised what I was doing, I pressed my lips against his throat in a gentle kiss, before turning my head the other way.

We stayed for a long time like that, holding each other in silence. Finally, Trunks lifted his head, and feeling the blush heavy on my cheeks, I looked away, avoiding eye contact.

Without another word, he picked me up the same as always, one arm around my back, the other under my knees, while I wrapped my arms around his neck. He looked left and right, appearing to scan the area for any spectators. Then we were off.

I was so embarrassed by my previous actions that I didn't want us to be flying in silence, so I asked the first question that came to mind.

"Where are we going?"

"The place where your father first took me to train," came the reply, "It's an island. It won't take too long to fly there."

I sneaked a look at his face, and I saw the blush on his cheeks. I guessed he was just as embarrassed about the hug as I, and I wondered if he would avoid me after this day, since I had kissed him. I doubted he had realised my feelings before, and I was sure he was now regretting ever offering to train me.

Trunks was right, and before long we were at the island, his feet softly touching down on the grass. He set me down, avoiding eye contact, and my stomach lurched. Man, I had really screwed things up.

"Pan," he finally began, his blue eyes locking onto mine.

"Hmm?" I mumbled, no longer able to form words under his intense gaze.

"Do you...do...do you..." he stuttered, and I waited anxiously for his words, hoping that he would suddenly declare his love for me, or something like that. "Uhh, do you want to watch some videos of your dad? I forgot to show them to you last time I saw you."

"Sure," I mumbled, feeling deflated. I figured he just wanted to forget the hug ever happened, and although that thought hurt, I decided it was the best option.

He got a capsule out of his pocket, clicking it before throwing it on the ground. It popped open to reveal a laptop with the Capsule Corporation logo on it, and Trunks sat down beside it, opening it up and switching it on.

"Here, come look," he said to me, motioning for me to take the spot beside him. I sat down slowly, leaning over to look into the screen. Pressing play, we watched events from years ago play out.

There, on screen, my father sat, playing a game of chess with a much younger Trunks. "Bulma," he began, his voice sounding deep and kind, "please don't film me, it's embarrassing."

"Gohan," I heard Bulma laugh in reply, "come on, I need some more videos of you. Now hurry up and do something stupid, so I can laugh at you later."

Trunks and I continued to watch the videos in silence, neither of us making any sound. Tears were streaming from my eyes again, I hated how emotional I had been lately but couldn't help it, I wanted so badly to be able to see my father face to face.

The videos of my father finished, and Trunks exited out of them. However, instead of shutting down the computer, he went into a different folder. "I want to show you a few more," he explained, "these ones are of the other warriors. The videos are from before I was born."

As they played out, Trunks reminded me of their names, and gave me a little more information on each of them. "This is the most important one to me," he said as he opened the last clip.

At first, the screen was only filled with two white boots, each with gold tips. Slowly, the camera moved up, showing muscular legs under a tightly fitting blue suit, then white and gold armour, covered by two crossed arms. Finally, the camera settled on a scowling face, the dark eyes of the man staring intensely back through the screen.

"What do you think you're doing, woman?" the man, who I recognised as Trunks' father, asked.

"I'm taping you, silly," Bulma replied. "When you're old and wrinkly, I want our baby to be able to look back and see what his dad used to look like, that's all."

Vegeta's glare deepened. "Saiyans age much slower than you pathetic humans," he replied, "You will wrinkle, but I will remain the same. The child you carry will not need a video to see me as I am now." He walked out of the camera's view, and the clip ended.

I looked at Trunks and he sighed, a sad smile on his lips. "My mum was right," he said, "I did need a video to see him."

Not knowing what to say, I sat silently as Trunks shut down the computer and put it back in its capsule, before moving so that he sat, cross-legged, in front of me.

"First of all, I have to teach you how to harness the ki inside you," he told me, his voice now serious. Slowly, he explained what I had to do in order to bring out the power apparently lying dormant inside me.

It was easier than I expected, and I felt almost as if there was another person inside me, dormant for all this time, who was slowly awakening. Trunks confirmed the feeling, "the Saiyan in you is finally coming out, isn't it?" he asked.

Within half an hour, I could already form a ki blast in my hands. Another hour after that, and I was flying, hovering a few feet above the ground.

Trunks took my hand while I was still in the air, and slowly pulled my higher. "You're doing great!" he old me, his smile genuine. "You're already really strong, Pan! As strong as my father was when he first came to Earth, I think."

"But he could blow up planets back then, you said!" I replied, shocked.

"Well yeah," he said, shrugging. "That's how strong you are. You just have to learn how to use it."

We flew higher and higher, and with my hand still firmly in his, we increased our speed. He pulled me this way and that, teaching me how to turn, how to speed up, slow down, and land properly. I had thought I would be terrified, but in the air, I wasn't afraid at all.

"Flying comes naturally to Saiyans," Trunks told me, "its not scary once you learn, right?"

We took a break, walking through the forest on the island, picking wild fruits to eat for lunch. It was peaceful, walking over the soft ground in dappled light, while Trunks and I spoke occasionally.

"I think it's about time we head back," Trunks said after lunch.

"But it's only early! We can stay and practice more, can't we?" I asked.

Trunks smiled, looking at me as if I were naïve. "You're still going to practice flying, Pan," he said. "You're going to fly home yourself, I'm not carrying you around any more."

I must have looked shocked, and my heart started beating like crazy. "I...I can't!" I stuttered. "I'll fall in the water and drown! I'll fly into a plane! I'll crash and break my neck!"

Trunks laughed, a grin stretching across his face. "Pan, I won't let anything bad happen to you, silly. I'll hold your hand the whole way if you like, so there's no way you'll fall. Flying back to the city would be the best training for you."

He grabbed my hand again, my fingers intertwining with his, and pulled me into the air. We rose higher and higher, until we were hundreds of feet above the ground, before we took off.

I had never realised before quite how fast Trunks flew. The trip to the island had taken about half an hour, but flying at my slow pace, the return trip took six times as long. After three gruelling hours, we finally touched down in the forest outside Orange Star City.

"I'm so sorry it took me so long," I huffed, collapsing on the ground. "I didn't realise you went so fast."

Trunks laughed again, settling down next to me. "Don't me silly," he said softly, "I'm a Super Saiyan, of course I go fast. You're the one amazing me. I didn't think you'd learn so much in only one day, Pan. You truly are a natural."

Our eyes locked again, and I found myself unable to look away. Slowly, he leaned forward, tilting his head. As I sat stiff, to nervous to move, he placed his lips to my neck, the same as I had done in the morning. "Just returning the favour," he murmured softly in my ear, before pulling back and standing up in one swift movement.

"Come on," he said, "you still have to run through the forest to get home. I'm not going to go easy on you, Pan. Training is hard work."

He pulled me up while I was still blushing furiously, and I too stunned to move properly. He had just kissed me! Granted, it wasn't on the lips, but it was pretty damn close! When I finally snapped myself out of my stunned state, I realised that he had already run ahead. Sucking in a deep breath, I took off, racing ahead to catch him. I may have been slow in the air, but I was fast on land.

We walked slowly through the city to my home, stopping to buy an ice cream on the way. He walked me to my front door this time, smiling gently as we stopped there.

"In the movies, this is where the guy kisses the girl he said," looking down at his feet, before sneaking a glance at me. I blushed again, feeling the heat rush to my face as it had done so many times already.

"I like movies," I said stupidly, inwardly cursing myself for being so socially incompetent.

Trunks just chuckled, leaning in to place a kiss softly on my cheek. "I like _you_, Pan," he whispered. I looked into his eyes, trying to form the right words. When nothing came, I just smiled.

He returned the look, before stepping back off my porch. "I'll see you next weekend," he said, and was gone, his movements too fast for me to see.

I stepped out onto the grass and searched the sky. There, in the distance, a gold dot travelled at amazing speed. Within seconds it was out of sight.

I sighed, staring into the blue above. I couldn't wait for next weekend to get here.


	7. Clouds

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Clouds

"We're going somewhere different today," Trunks told me when I opened the door on Saturday morning, "that's why I told you to be ready by nine, we wanna make the most of today."

He had text me the night before, telling me to pack togs and a change of clothes in a capsule, and to make sure that I dressed for hot weather. Even though it was still summer, I was a little cold when I stepped out into the morning air, clad only in a grey cotton singlet and short shorts.

Trunks seemed to notice this, and before I could say anything he had removed his blue jacket, and was helping me to slip my arms into it.

"Once we get to our destination you won't be cold," he said, smiling at me.

"I wish you would tell me where we're going," I replied, knowing already that he would give me the same answer that he had given in his texts all week.

"Just wait and see, it's a surprise."

Before I could retort with how much I hated surprises, he swept me off my feet- literally- and took off into the air. As the city faded into the distance he turned Super Saiyan, his speed increasing tenfold. It surprised me that this time I wasn't so bothered by the wind. Unfortunately, that also meant I didn't really have an excuse to snuggle up close to Trunks any more either.

Still, I wrapped my arms around his neck. Now that I knew how to fly, I knew I had absolutely no reason to worry about me falling, and I knew I could trust Trunks with my life. But it still felt better to have my arms holding onto something, I suppose it was one of those survival instincts driving me again.

Boy, did he smell _good_. It made me think of the previous weekend, and the way he had kissed my neck. Unfortunately, that led to the usual reaction, heat flooding to my face, my heart beating slightly faster again. I glanced up at Trunks to see he was blushing too, and I was glad we were in the same boat.

"I guess we need to talk about this, huh?" he asked, looking quite nervous. "Do you have feelings for me…Pan?"

I made a strangled sort of noise, something in between a nervous laugh and a choke, before replying with a nod. Damn stupid body, always failing me in important situations. It seemed like every time I wanted to speak these days, my mouth would go and shut down.

He looked ahead again, thinking for a moment. "I have feeling for you too, Pan. I want… I would like to be… well I think it would be good for us to be together. If… if that's what you want?"

"Yes," I said eagerly, my voice box finally working again.

"Cool," he replied, looking forward again.

We were silent after that, and it still seemed a little awkward. The butterflies were back in full force, and I had to make sure I looked at the sky. If I were to look at the ground rushing beneath us, I think I would hurl.

Eventually we were flying over the ocean, and the bright blue spread out as far as the eye could see. It truly was a beautiful sight, and it seemed to give me a little courage, enough for me to hold myself closer against Trunks' body, pressing my head up against his neck. He responded by tightening his grip, and I felt his thumbs stroke me gently as we continued to fly along.

"I thought you wanted me to fly by myself these days?" I murmured in his ear, suddenly remembering his words from last weekend.

"Flying still drains a lot of your energy, you're not used to it yet. I didn't think it would be a good idea for you to be drained before we even got onto the training today," he said, mumbling into my hair. "Besides," he added, "I quite like holding you, Pan."

I giggled in reply, blushing so much that I faced the other way, determined not to let him look at me when I was as red as a tomato.

"I taught you how to bring out your own ki, right?" he said, suddenly sounding more serious. "Can you feel your ki, sense that ki inside you? Can you feel how strong it is?"

"Kinda," I replied. "I think I may have always been able to, I just didn't know what it was. It feels…bigger…than it used to be. Am I right, or just stupid?"

"You're never stupid, Pan," he said, frowning at me. "Your ki has increased since I first met you, your potential is amazing, you know."

"The reason I asked," he added after some more silence, "is because sensing your own ki is the first step to sensing the ki of others. Its how I know where we're going today, I'm using someone's ki as a beacon."

"So how am I meant to sense others?" I asked, wanting to be able to master the technique.

"Just relax," he chuckled, "that's the first step. Remember how I told you to listen to your own body last week? Well now try to listen to mine instead. It shouldn't be too hard for you to pick it up, at this proximity."

I followed his instructions, closing my eyes, evening out my breathing and shutting out the world around me. Slowly, the sense of my own life force flooded my head, telling me on some basis that I still didn't fully understand, just how strong I was.

I then tried to stretch the sense out to Trunks. At first I felt nothing, and frowned in frustration. "Just relax," Trunks reminded me, and I evened out my breathing once more.

It hit me, the force literally making me jump. "Oh! Shit!" I exclaimed, clearly shocked, as could be seen by my use of expletives.

His power was _huge_. It filled my head, this crazy buzzing sense that was so strong I felt momentarily overpowered. I looked up at him to see him smirking, enjoyment clear in his eyes.

"I told you Super Saiyans were strong," he said, arrogance coating his voice in a particularly sexy manner.

"Yeah!" I replied, "How the hell did I never sense that before?"

He laughed at that, his deep chuckles reverberating through the air. "Its amazing what the body can do, isn't it? Most people just don't know how to tap into their potential. Even normal humans have the ability to sense ki, if they just bothered to learn. Most are too ignorant to bother with this kind of thing, though."

"Does your mum know how to?" I asked him.

"I taught her a few years ago. She used to get so worried about me fighting the androids, so one day I told her that if she learnt how to sense ki, she'd at least be able to know if I was alive or not. It seemed to make her a lot better about the situation, after that."

"So she's been able to sense me, all this time?"

"Yep," he replied, "and the thing is, you haven't learnt how to lower your ki yet. I can make mine seem like I'm at the same level as the average human, but you always stand out like a sore thumb."

"Oh thanks," I replied, "its so good to know I'm even more of a freak show than I originally thought."

Trunks stopped suddenly, pulling me from him and holding me by my waist at arms length. He looked genuinely mad, his perfect features, beautiful in gold and teal, etched into a scowl. Now more than ever, he looked like his father.

"Don't ever say that, Pan," he said, his voice serious. "You are not a freak. You are a Saiyan, and you should be proud of your heritage. You have amazing abilities. You are smart, beautiful. Kami Pan! You are the most amazing woman I've ever met in my entire life! If other people are too stupid to realise how great you are, well they're just idiots…"

"You are one of a kind," he continued, his voice softening. "You…you are perfect to me. Please, don't ever think of yourself as a freak, it couldn't be further from the truth. You are the superior being here."

I was stunned silent. Never had anyone ever spoken to me like that before, and I didn't know what to do. He pulled me back to him, clutching me ever so softly, allowing me to wrap my arms around him once more. I buried by head against his shoulder, not wanting him to see the moisture building up in my eyes.

"Pan," he whispered, "Pan. Look at me."

I turned my head towards him, and I saw an array of emotions flash across his face.

"I made you cry?" he asked, looking horrified. "Pan, I didn't mean too, I'm sorry, please don't be upset!" He kissed my forehead, and then my cheeks, now wet with tears, "Don't cry, Panny," he murmured, "please don't be sad."

"I… I'm not," I whispered out, as more tears streamed down my face. What I hated the most about crying was the fact that I never seemed to be able to convey my emotions properly. "I'm just a little surprised," I added.

"I scared you," he cut in. "Kami, I'm so sorry."

"No, no you didn't scare me," I said, pressing my mouth up against his neck. "No one has ever said such nice things to me. You…make me so happy."

He moved his head so that we were staring into each other's eyes, and he seemed to be debating something in his head. Finally, he bent down slowly, maintaining eye contact the whole time, until his lips brushed mine.

I closed my eyes, not really knowing what to do. I settled for pressing my lips back against his, and found the usual instincts taking over, guiding me on what to do. As the kiss deepened, we fell into a rhythm, and I found myself marvelling at how soft his lips were.

Was it possible to already be in love with someone, after such a short amount of time? I felt as if my heart would burst from my chest, and wrapped my arms tighter around him, trying to mould myself into him permanently. I never wanted to be parted from this divine creature again.

Eventually, our kiss slowed, until he pulled away, only to apply more kisses to my cheeks, forehead and nose.

"Wow," I breathed, "I just kissed someone while floating thousands of feet above the ocean."

He laughed softly, pulling me even closer to him. I was no longer being held bridal style, instead he held me flat against his body, as if we were both standing up.

"Trunks," I murmured.

"Hmm?" he replied into my hair.

"Your phone's sticking into me," I said.

I felt him tense a little, and looked up to see him blushing again. "I don't have my cell phone on me," he replied.

"But then what's in your pocket?" I asked, genuinely confused. He raised one eyebrow, the red still present on his face.

It took me a few moments to realise the truth, and immediately the heat rose to my face. "Ohh…" I mumbled, feeling extremely stupid, "its _that_." I had officially made myself the biggest fool in the world.

His jaw tensed, and he looked away into the distance. "I…uh…this is something that I can't help," he eventually explained, still avoiding my eyes.

"That's okay," I said, still quite embarrassed with myself. "I'm sorry I didn't realise, I'm pretty stupid."

He chuckled at that, scooping me back up into the usual hold. "Its okay," he said, before taking off again, flying at an even faster speed than before.

"Try and sense where we are going," he said, breaking the silence after five minutes.

I tried to do the same as I had before, stretching out the sense, further out into the distance. It was hard with Trunks right next to me; I didn't have to be a genius to know his power dwarfed all others on this planet. Eventually, though, I felt a different kind of buzzing, almost as if it was on a different wavelength. It was nothing compared to Trunks, or to me for that matter, but I could tell that it was strong nonetheless.

"When you learn to sense ki, you realise that every individual feels slightly different," Trunks explained. "The ki we are flying towards is different to me or you, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I replied, "it's almost like having a different flavour or something, eh? I don't know how else to explain it."

"It is like different flavours, you're exactly right. Now can you tell where we are going? The distance, I mean."

I concentrated on the source of the ki, and realised we were getting closer to it with every passing moment. "I can tell," I confirmed to Trunks.

He grinned, looking at me proudly. "You're doing extremely well, Pan," he said.

I grinned back. "Now that I can sense this person's ki," I said, "do you mind telling me who it belongs to?"

"I suppose I could," he said after a moment, "you'd find out soon enough anyway. Do you remember the stories my mother told you about your grandfather Goku?"

"Yeah, what about them?"

"Well, he was trained by the turtle hermit, Master Roshi. It's his ki that you're sensing. I thought he'd like to meet you, I'm sure he would have sensed your ki before. Plus, I thought that perhaps he could show you the basics when it comes to martial arts, he was pretty famous back in the day."

Master Roshi, I remembered seeing him in the photos Nana had shown me. He didn't look that strong, but then again looks could be deceiving. I didn't think I looked that strong, either.

"Didn't Bulma say he was a pervert?" I asked, laughing. The stories Bulma told me about him sounded pretty funny to me.

Trunks obviously didn't feel the same way about the topic, and his face darkened, a growl coming from his throat. "I won't let him touch you," he said, tightening his grip on me.

It was then that we stopped, and I looked down to see us floating above a tiny island, only big enough to hold one house. Trunks dropped swiftly, slowing down only at the last moment, his feet making a small tapping noise as he hit the ground.

He set me down gently, taking my hand, and pulled me towards the door. He knocked quickly, three consecutive taps, before opening the door and stepping inside.

"Come on," he said, pulling me through the threshold, "he already knows we're here, there's no need to wait for him to get the door."

"Well hey Trunks, long time no see!" came a voice, and I looked around for the owner. "And you brought a pretty girl too!" it continued, "Way to go! The old man's in the john, he'll be out soon."

Finally, my gaze settled on a little pig, standing upright and fully dressed in clothes. It took me a moment to process that the voice was coming from him.

"Hi there," he said, extending his hand to me, "the name's Oolong."

"Uh, hi," I replied, still trying to adjust to the fact that I was conversing with a pig.

"Trunks! You're here!" came a squeaking voice, and I looked up to see a blue cat flying straight for my face. I screamed and fell backwards, and was lucky to be caught by Trunks.

"Puar!" the pig started, "why'd you go and do that? You freaked her out!"

"I'm sorry," the cat squeaked, floating backwards, "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm just happy that we have company, that's all."

"That's okay," I mumbled, back on my feet again. I looked up at Trunks, who had a very amused look on his face.

"You could have warned me, y'know," I grumbled to him under my breath, quiet enough that only he could hear.

"Well I didn't expect that a few talking animals would surprise you, I mean, you're an alien, right?" he whispered back, a teasing smirk on his face.

Before I had a chance to reply, we heard a shuffling noise, and I looked over to see a turtle moving slowly through the door.

"Why hello there," the turtle spoke in a deep, slow voice. "Its good to see you, Trunks. Who is your beautiful friend?"

"Its good to see you too, Turtle," Trunks replied, "I'll explain who she is when the master comes out, then I won't have to repeat myself.

With perfect timing, we heard the toilet flush, and an old man emerged, wearing a yellow Chinese-style shirt, and blue pants. He had dark glasses on and was bald, although he sported an impressive moustache and beard.

He stood there, staring at us in silence, as the minutes ticked by. Finally, he spoke.

"Good to see you again, boy. I believe you've got some explainin' to do about your friend. Her ki feels familiar, but it can't be possible, can it?"

"Familiar?" I questioned Trunks, "What does he mean by that?"

"Relative's often have ki that feel very similar. Your ki feels very much like your father's, and your grandfather's," Trunks replied softly.

Turning back towards the old man, Trunks spoke again. "I think we better sit down first, it's a bit of a long story."

We all sat on futons on the floor, and Trunks proceeded to tell them everything about me, from my father's history with my mother, to the day I met Trunks in Orange Star City.

"No way! So Gohan got laid at fourteen! Awesome!" Oolong proclaimed at the end of the story, "who would've thought little Gohan would do that!"

By now I had realised Oolong was a bit of a perve himself, I had caught his eyes drifting to my bust on more than one occasion already.

"So, you're here to train," the old master asked me. "It'll come at a price," he added, and although I couldn't see his eyes behind the glasses, I was sure that they were no longer focused on my face.

"I can pay," Trunks cut in, his voice serious. At the same time, he wrapped a protective arm around me, glaring at Roshi.

"Ah… no need, no need to do that! I was just joking about the price! Of course I'll give Goku's granddaughter a little training, its no problem at all!" The old man conceded, clearly not wanting to mess with a Super Saiyan.

"Note to self, don't piss off Vegeta's son," I heard Oolong mumble, as he got up to grab himself a drink. I looked to Trunks, wondering how similar he was to his father. The name Vegeta seemed to freak some people out, I knew he had done many bad things, but I couldn't comprehend how someone evil could father such an amazing person like Trunks.

We moved outside, and Trunks watched patiently as Master Roshi taught me first how to stretch correctly, and then to punch, kick, block and dodge. Then Trunks stepped up, and the master instructed me to spar with him.

Trunks teased me, not even bothering to block my punches at first. It made me mad, and my punches began to connect more effectively.

"Good," the master called out. "Harness you're anger, use your emotions to unlock your ki. You're doing great."

As we continued, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the experience. I supposed it was more of the Saiyan in me coming through, the thrill felt the same as when I ran through the forest.

Actually, this fighting felt even better than that.

It surprised me to no end, realising that I actually enjoyed getting beat up. What was wrong with me? As I though that, Trunks' earlier statements ran through my head. _You are not a freak._

Slowly, I was coming to terms with the idea that I couldn't compare myself with others, because we weren't even of the same species. All the things that made me 'different', they were all normal for Saiyans.

Every now and then, the master would interrupt the spar, giving me further instructions. Trunks, too, would point out things I could improve on, and I was surprised by how much I could learn in one day.

The master interrupted again, shocking me with his request.

"Take the fight into the air," he instructed.

"W…_What_? Fight in the _air_?" I asked, already out of breath from the strenuous activity.

"You can fly, can't you? So fight in the air."

"But how will I be able to fight, if I'm concentrating on flying?" I asked, genuinely worried.

"You just will," he snapped. "Now get to it! Hurry!"

If I hadn't fully realised what training meant before, I did now. My teachers didn't take no for an answer, instead, the more I complained, the tougher they got on me. It surprised me that the guy I had just kissed this morning was the same one throwing me into the ground every few minutes.

"I can't go easy on you, Pan," he explained as I lay on the ground for the umpteenth time. "The enemy will never give you a second chance, in battle giving up would mean certain death."

Fighting in the air did get easier, until I no longer had to think about the flying part at all. It seemed as if flying had now become as natural as walking, and fighting in the air gave me much more room to manoeuvre.

In the late afternoon we finally stopped, changing into our swimming gear before heading into the water to cool off.

I'd never seen Trunks with his shirt off before. Needless to say, it was quite a nice sight, his tanned skin covering chiselled muscles. I couldn't help but grin at the realisation that he was now _my_ boyfriend, as I watched him wade into the water a few feet ahead of me.

With an audience on the shoreline, and Turtle following us into the water, I decided it would be best not to get too personal with Trunks, and settled for swimming a few feet apart.

"You look nice in your bikini, I have to say," he whispered softly while Turtle was underwater.

"Thanks," I replied, blushing. "You don't look too shabby yourself."

After the swim we had a huge picnic on the grass, eating an array of foods that Trunks had brought along in a capsule.

"I didn't think it'd be fair for two Saiyans to turn up on your doorstep without providing lunch," he confessed to the old master. "You probably don't have enough in your cupboards for one meal with us." We all laughed at that, there was no denying that we ate _a lot_.

With the sun hanging low in the sky, we decided it was time to head back home. Master Roshi appeared to be deep in thought, and eventually turned to me.

"I think there's something of your grandfather's that you might as well have," he said, sadness in his voice. "Goku would have liked for you to have it, I'm sure. It might as well go to use, I don't think anyone else on this planet could use it."

"What?" I asked, confused. "Something my grandfather used?"

The old man didn't reply, instead, he walked towards the edge of his island, pointing his staff out to the ocean.

"NIMBUS!" he yelled, before standing tall, scanning the sky for something.

"Oh," I heard Trunks exclaim, and I looked to him for answers. "Just wait and see," he told me.

Moments dragged by, and I briefly wondered if the old guy had just gone crazy from isolation on this tiny island. I was about to voice my concern, when something yellow on the horizon caught my attention.

Within second I could tell that it was something moving very fast, heading straight towards us. In no time at all it arrived, floating only a short distance from us all.

It was a cloud. A cloud that appeared to be _alive_.

"Nimbus," Roshi spoke to the cloud, "this here is Pan, she's the grandchild of Goku. Will you let her ride you?"

The cloud moved forward, until it was floating right in front of me. I looked up at Trunks, and he smiled reassuringly.

"Jump on," Roshi said to me, "I'm sure you'll be able to ride it, just like Goku and Gohan."

Hesitantly, I floated above the ground, lowering my feet onto the cloud. It felt soft, but solid at the same time. I continued to lower myself until I was sitting on the cloud entirely.

"Wow!" Puar cooed, "She can ride Nimbus! She's just as pure as Goku!"

"Pure?" I asked.

"You have to have a pure heart to ride Nimbus, no malicious intentions ever. Not many people qualify," the old master explained. "Besides, since this Nimbus belonged to Goku, I was unsure whether it would ever take a new master. Because you are Goku's descendant, this Nimbus will let you ride it. It will fly you anywhere on this planet, and its very fast. You're already worn out from training today, so use this to fly yourself home."

"Thank you!" I said genuinely. It felt wonderful to be given such an amazing thing, and I was glad to have something else that connected me to my deceased family members.

Trunks and I said our goodbyes, and I told the master I would come back some time to visit. We took off, me on Nimbus, with Trunks beside me. It occurred to me that Nimbus seemed a bit like the magic carpet Aladdin had in those old fairy tales, and I laughed to myself.

"What?" Trunks asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking Nimbus seemed like a magic carpet," I replied, "Next you'll be telling me genies exist."

"They do," he replied seriously. "Mr. Popo, who lives up at the lookout, is one. We should go visit there some time."

It seemed I still had a lot to learn about this planet.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you to all who have reviewed so far! I hope you all like this chapter! :)


	8. Fight

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z**

Fight

My mum knew something was up the minute I walked through the door after getting home from Roshi's island. Unfortunately, I couldn't hide the grin on my face, a product of Trunks' tender goodbye kisses.

"Are you dating him, Pan?" she asked, a frown plastered on her face, her hands on her hips.

"Dating who? I don't know what you're talking about?" I replied, attempting to feign innocence.

"It's written all over your face, Pan," she continued. "He's twenty-one! He'll be twenty-two soon! He's far too old for you Pan, your only sixteen!"

"Look mum," I sighed, "you don't have to freak out just 'cos he's a few years older. Its no big deal."

"It's a _huge_ deal. You're too young to date!"

"What about you?" I yelled back. "You can't talk!"

"Of course I can!" she yelled again. "_I_ of all people can talk, _I_ know what a huge mistake it is to date so young. Look what happened to me!"

"Thanks," I replied with chagrin. "Its nice to know how happy you are to have me."

"I…I didn't mean it like that…" she said dejectedly, but I wasn't listening. I ran up the stairs, traveling at Saiyan speed- so fast that she probably didn't even see- and slammed my bedroom door, accidentally pulling off the door handle in the process. In anger I scrunched up the metal, and within a few seconds it was nothing more than a deformed lump in my hand.

I looked at the object in my hand and sighed. I had been so happy with Trunks today, it sucked that mum had put me in such a foul mood now. Normally when I was angry, I would go for a run to ease the tension, but with all the training I had done, I was too tired to do so. I'd just have to deal with the anger some other way.

I had homework for the weekend, but it didn't take more than a few hours on Sunday morning to get it done. Trunks had told me he had stuff to do-something about an important board meeting coming up- so wouldn't be able to hang out until the next weekend. That left me with nothing to do, so I sat staring out the window at the clouds.

"Of course!" I spoke to myself- something I had to admit I did often. I had just remembered I had the Nimbus, so it meant I could go anywhere.

"I'm going to go visit Chi Chi and Ox King," I said to mum, the first words I had spoken to her since our fight the night before.

"Is your _boyfriend_ going to take you?" she asked, emphasising her dislike of the situation by the tone of her voice.

"Nope," I replied. "Yesterday I trained with my grandpa's old master, Master Roshi. He gave me a flying cloud that used to belong to my grandpa. I'm going to ride the cloud to Nana's house."

I was still a little mad at my mother, so I didn't give her a chance to reply. Instead I walked out the door and called for Nimbus. Knowing that mum was still watching, I jumped on Nimbus and flew off. I bet that gave her a surprise.

It took longer to get to Mt Paozu on Nimbus than it did when Trunks flew, but I didn't mind. I was happy that I had a way to travel around by myself, rather than having to rely on others. I could have flown by myself, but I was still a little nervous to be up that high by myself. Plus, I couldn't fly as fast as the Nimbus yet.

On the trip over I was able to observe the scenery below, more than I had been able to when flying in Trunks' arms. I passed over mountains that looked spectacular, and saw herds of wild animals running around on vast plains. It made me laugh with happiness, and with my hair out, whipping behind me in the wind, I felt truly free.

Other scenes, however, disturbed me. Many of the cities were still being rebuilt, and the scars left from the androids still remained.

_My boyfriend saved the world_. I was still getting used to the fact that I was dating Trunks, the most amazing person I had ever met in my entire life. He truly was my prince charming, and the goofy smile spread across my face again. If I kept this up, my cheeks were going to start hurting.

Finally, I found myself over the 439 district, and my Nana's house came into view. Nimbus descended slowly, eventually coming to a stop a few feet from my Nana, who was in the middle of hanging out washing. I realised that she hadn't noticed my arrival yet.

"Umm, Nana," I began, and straight away she dropped the white sheet she had been holding, and stared back at me.

"PAN!" she yelled, "My grandbaby!" Before I knew what was happening she had jumped on the Nimbus, her arms wrapped securely around me.

"Its so good to see you again, honey!" she cooed, planting kisses on my cheeks. "How have you been? How's school? How's your mother? Are you hungry? Come inside and I'll cook you something, what would you like? Noodles?"

Whoa, too many questions! As I had come to realise, Nana could be a little full on. While she dragged me inside, I told her about my week at school, and then began to tell her about my training with Trunks.

"So you can fly now, well good for you," she said. "Your grandfather, and your father, would both be very proud of you, sweetheart. I am."

"Thanks," I replied, and continued to tell her about my visit to Roshi's, and how I sparred with Trunks and gained Nimbus. As I remembered swimming with Trunks, the grin came back in full force, and Nana stopped stirring the pot on the stove, giving me a knowing look.

"That Trunks boy likes you, doesn't he," she said.

"How did you know?" I asked, pouting a little. I couldn't seem to keep this from anyone.

"Oh Pan!" she laughed, "I don't think you realise how close to my Goku you really are. He was never any good at hiding things from me, and neither are you. Besides, when you were here last time, Trunks couldn't keep his eyes off you. That boy has it bad."

"Really?" I asked, "He was looking at me? I hadn't noticed."

"Oh yes," she replied, "I'm surprised you didn't notice, it was all Bulma and I could talk about that night. So, are you dating him? Did he kiss you?"

"Umm, yes, and yes," I replied, blushing furiously. "He's very nice."

"He's a lot older than you," she added, "just be careful that you don't do anything you're not ready for."

"Oh…yeah! Of course!" I stammered, still blushing. I'd only just started dating Trunks; all these sex talks were overkill.

I sat down at the table and feasted on all the food Nana made, it was amazing, and I wondered who had taught her to cook.

"Well my mother died when I was a baby," she told me, "so much of it I learnt myself, but I went to visit Grandma Hakkake before I was married, she taught me how to be a good wife. Would you like me to teach you some recipes, next time you're over?"

"Yes! That would be wonderful, Nana," I replied.

Just then I heard shuffling, and Grandpa Ox appeared from the hallway. Apparently, he had been taking a nap in the one of the bedrooms.

"Pan!" he boomed, "How's my girl today?"

"I'm good, Grandpa," I said, smiling back at him while he patted me on the head. "How have you been?"

"The same as usual," he replied, taking a seat. "It's a shame this old body isn't as fast as it used to be, I still feel young in the head, but my joints are failing me."

I stayed at Mt Paozu until late in the afternoon, and was sad when I had to leave. "I'll come back next weekend!" I promised Nana and Grandpa Ox, before hopping on Nimbus and heading back home.

The next day I had a little more trouble concentrating at school than I usually did. I looked out the window and the sky reminded me of Trunks' eyes, I looked around the room and someone's pencil case reminded me of his hair, and I spent all of English comparing the protagonist in the book we were studying to Trunks. Needless to say, I decided my boyfriend was far better than the fictional hero in the story.

After school I walked slowly from the block of buildings, out past the gate, and began the slow walk home. Of course, I could actually make the trip home in about thirty seconds if I wanted to, but in attempt to look normal, I walked as slow as all the other girls did, kicking stones along the way.

As I reached the top of the school road, I picked up on the sound of a motorbike heading in my direction. All the other students around were completely unaware of this; it would still be another minute before they heard the same noise.

It sounded as if it was traveling at high speed, and I wondered who would dare to be so reckless around a school zone. Then it appeared around the corner.

It was a big bike, masculine, but at the same time sleek in design. It was black, and looked to be in perfect condition. The most noticeable thing about the bike, however, was the Capsule Corporation logo on the side, and of course, the person riding it.

It was him, my knight in shining armour. Not bothering with a helmet, his hair was blown backwards, revealing the straight lines of his perfect face. And that all too knowing smirk, which I had become quite fond of.

He maneuvered the bike effortlessly, coming to a stop beside me. "Hop on," was all he said, grinning at me in a way that could make even the iciest woman melt.

As I climbed on behind him, carefully tucking my skirt under my legs so that it wouldn't blow up, I heard the gossip erupt from the crowds of girls around.

"Oh. My. God. Isn't that Trunks Briefs?"

"It looks like him, what is he doing with her?"

"Ugh. He could do better than that freakazoid. Doesn't he know she's a weirdo?"

At the last comment, I heard Trunks growl. Not wanting to stick around any longer, he started off again, heading down a side street.

"How do you know where to go?" I asked, not bothering to yell, as I knew he'd hear me even with the engine roaring.

"After I took you home that first time, I came here and checked out the area," he replied. "I hope you don't think I'm a stalker, I was just worried about you after that attack. I wanted to make sure you'd be ok."

I laughed, burying my head in his back between his shoulder blades. "That's very sweet," I mumbled, breathing in his sweet scent again. I had missed it since Saturday.

"Were you in town for work?" I asked, realizing that he didn't really look dressed for any business meetings, wearing the casual types of clothes I usually saw him in.

"Yeah," he replied. "The board meeting went well, so my mum will be pleased. I got changed before I came here, though. I wouldn't wear this to work."

"Oh, cool. I'm so happy to see you," I added, kissing his back.

"I'm happy to see you too, my beautiful Panda bear."

"Panda bear?" I asked, blushing and giggling, "Are you serious?"

"Yep," he replied, coming to a stop near the outskirts of the forest. "Lets go for a run," he suggested, turning off the bike and motioning for me to get off.

"I'm in my skirt," I pouted, frowning and tugging at the ugly uniform, "it's going to fly up."

Trunks laughed, capsulising the bike and turning towards me. "How about I run then, and I'll carry you in my arms. I wanna spend some time with you."

I nodded, blushing and wrapping my arms around his waist. He returned the gesture, leaning down to capture my lips with his own.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of this," I whispered into his ear after our kiss finally ended, "its far too much fun."

"Mmm hmm," he replied, still planting kisses on my neck, "you're too pretty for your own good, Pan. I'm seriously contemplating kidnapping you right now."

I laughed, smacking him lightly on the arm and running into the trees. "You'll have to catch me first!" I called, no longer caring about the skirt.

I turned around to begin running seriously, only to slam straight into his broad chest, his arms snapping around me and lifting me into the air.

"How'd you move so fast?" I squealed as he threw me over his shoulder.

"Haven't you realised already," he said, laughing again and jumping into the trees, "I can do anything!"

We mucked around like that for hours, talking about anything that came to mind. He explained more about the lookout, and we decided to visit there on Saturday. Trunks said that there was plenty of room up there to train, and that Mr. Popo was a great cook.

"You can meet Korin too."

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Another talking cat. He's really old, way older than Roshi even. He trained your grandpa too, when he was a kid," Trunks replied.

"Wow, my grandpa trained with a lot of people, huh?"

"Yeah, he did. And he fought so many people I doubt you could count them all. He's probably still training and fighting new people right now," he added.

"What do you mean? I asked, confused. "He's dead."

"Well there's life after death, Pan. I've got first hand experience in that, when I fought Cell in the past I died and got wished back. If you're a good person, and fight or do something else to save people, they let you keep your physical body when you die," he explained, while I sat there stunned. _He had died before?_ I didn't want to think about something as horrible as that.

"I think all of Goku's friends would have been allowed to keep their bodies, and Gohan too," he continued. "They'd all be training with King Kai now…the only one I'm not sure about is my father," he added quietly.

"Why not him?" I asked, picking up on his somber mood.

"Like I said, you have to be good. My father was evil. When I met him in the past, I could tell he was changing, becoming a better man. But I don't know if it would have been enough in this time, he probably went downwards instead."

"Oh," I mumbled, placing a comforting hand on his arm. I didn't know what else to say.

He smiled his sad smile, pulling me into his lap and burying his head in my hair.

"You're very important to me, Pan," he finally said after a long silence.

"You're important to me, too," I said, tightening my hold on him.

One day, I was going to have to tell him just how important he was to me. I knew it had only been a few weeks since I met him, but I didn't care.

_I love him._

* * *

**A/N:** I know this chapter is a little on the short side, but I wanted to establish their relationship before I moved onto the more exciting things. I hope you all liked this one! :)

Also...I don't want to nag, but...please review! Otherwise I can't tell if people like where I'm going or not.


	9. Vegeta

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Vegeta

On Saturday morning I flew Nimbus over to Capsule Corporation, rather than making Trunks double back to meet me. Trunks had given me a pass to show security at the door, apparently they would just let me through. Then I would go straight through the ground floor foyer to the lifts, and take one up to the fourth floor.

"Just head on through," the security guard waved to me when I flashed him my pass. I grinned, feeling like I was part of some exclusive club now.

The elevator opened up to a corridor that seemed to go on forever. I remembered the last time I was here, and recalled the lost feeling that was back again.

"Umm…Hello?" I called out, hoping someone would come to rescue me.

"Hmm? Who's that?" I heard someone say, in a voice that sounded as if it belonged to someone quite old. I looked down the hall, to see an old man with a walking stick come out from one of the rooms.

"Oh, hello dear. You must be the young lady Trunks was talking about," he said while walking slowly towards me. "I'm his grandfather, Dr. Briefs."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, finally realising where I'd recognised him. "I'm Pan, its such an honour to meet you."

"Nonsense," he replied, "the pleasures all mine. That boy has been much happier since he met you, you know. Besides, I still find you Saiyans fascinating, do you mind if I run some tests sometime?"

"Gramps!" I heard Trunks say, before he appeared out of another door. "Pan is not a specimen you can study!"

"Oh, come now, boy," the old man replied, "I'd just have her run on a treadmill for a few minutes, it's in the name of science! Besides, I've never met a Saiyan female before," he added, the eyes behind his glasses looking me up and down, "I think it would be good to study her genetic and physical make up, especially if you two plan on procreating some time."

"Grandpa!" Trunks yelled, his cheeks red. He turned to me, grabbing my hand, "come on Pan, before my grandpa gets any more crazy ideas." I had to admit, I was glad to be pulled away from that conversation, judging by where it was headed. _Procreating?_ Why were all the adults always assuming such things?

"You have to excuse gramps, he gets a little carried away when it comes to science," Trunks apologized as he led me down the hall. Abruptly he stopped beside a doorway, whispering so low that no human could hear. "I'm going to introduce you to my grandmother now, I have to warn you, she's a bit of a ditz. Sometimes I wonder how my mum ended up so smart, to be honest."

Before I had a chance to say anything, he pulled me through the door, his hand coming to rest on the small of my back. I realised I had been in the room before; it was the living room where I had first met Bulma. Just like last time, Bulma was sitting on one of the couches, leisurely reading a magazine. Beside her sat an old woman, her hair dyed platinum blonde, reading a magazine herself.

"Ahem," Trunks cleared his throat, and both women looked up.

"Oh my!" began the older of the two, a hand placed across her heart, "is that her? My beautiful granddaughter-in-law? Oh, its so good to meet you honey! Aren't you a pretty little thing!"

"Uh…its good to meet you, too," I replied as she wrapped me in a hug. She smelt of expensive perfume, and looked so happy that I could hardly see her eyes, she was smiling so hard.

"Come on mum," Bulma stepped in, "let the kids have some space," she said as she pulled the woman off me. "Come sit down, you two. Have a little snack before you head out."

Trunks and I took our seats, as did the two women, and immediately Trunks' grandmother began to chat, asking me about what shops I bought my clothes from, and whom I went to for my hair. I could see that Trunks was right; in all honesty she was a bit of an airhead, albeit a very nice one.

After half an hour of talking and snacking, Trunks finally stood up. "We better be off now," he told the two women, "We have quite a way to travel yet."

"All right," Bulma sighed, "well you two have fun." As Trunks and I walked onto the balcony adjoining the room, she spoke once more.

"Kids, just make sure you stay _safe_, okay?"

As I stood trying to work out what she meant, Trunks transformed, picking me up with more force than necessary and blasting off into the sky. I looked up to see his face red again, and felt even more confused.

"Is something wrong?" I asked innocently.

He looked down at me, his eyebrows furrowed together. "She was referring to birth control," he said in a stern voice, before looking ahead again. "Damn mother," I heard him mutter under his breath, "has she never heard about being subtle?"

Not knowing what to say, I settled for kissing his neck, hiding my red cheeks from him. "My mum's been a little troublesome, too," I admitted.

"That's understandable," he said, his voice softer than before, "I don't blame her, I'm a lot older than you, Panda. But I wouldn't ever make you do anything you weren't ready for."

"I know," I sighed into his neck. "I know."

With Trunks in a bit of an irritated state, it didn't take us long to reach the lookout. It really was true; power levels were connected to your emotions. Angry Super Saiyan Trunks seemed to fly twice as fast as a happy Trunks did.

I was still shocked by the power that he possessed, many, many times higher than my own. Trunks had taught me, during our last meeting in the forest, how to manipulate the level of my ki, so that I could now comfortably keep it at the minimal level at all times. It meant that I appeared not that much stronger than the average human to anyone who could sense ki, so that in battle, I could take the enemy by surprise.

As the huge tower came into view, exactly as Trunks had described, I found myself feeling quite nervous. Trunks changed angles, suddenly flying upwards, and forcing me to cling to him even more than I was before. He slowed down as we reached a palace sitting precariously on the tower, until we were floating just outside it.

"This is Korin's place," he explained, "the lookout is above this, but I thought we'd stop here and get some senzus first."

"Senzus?" I asked, but before he could reply we were interrupted by the noise of footsteps.

"Ahh, young Trunks," came a voice, and I turned to see a large white cat, clutching a staff, staring at us with a small smile on his face. "Come in, come in," he motioned, "no use floating out there."

Trunks complied, setting me down beside him inside the open room. "I thought I might see if the senzus are ready," he told the cat, his hands thrust in his pockets.

"Yes, yes, I've got some ready now," the cat sighed, "you young people are too impatient, you know that."

I couldn't help but smile at the cat. I knew he was an ancient martial arts master, but when I looked at him, the only words that came to mind were 'cute' and 'fluffy'.

"Tell me, young one," he said, turning to me, "you're the daughter of Gohan, aren't you?"

"Yes," I replied, looking at my feet, "my name's Pan."

"Well its lovely to meet you, Pan. I don't get many visitors up here, its always nice to meet someone new," he replied. "I'm Master Korin, by the way," he added as an afterthought.

Korin turned and began heading down a flight of stairs, "Come on!" he called to us, "If you want the senzu beans, they're down here."

Trunks took my hand again, smiling reassuringly as we followed the cat into a room under the main floor. I looked around, observing the various jars placed here and there, and the little desk and closet off to one side.

"Here we go," Korin mumbled to himself before turning to face us. "Will six senzu do for now?" he asked Trunks.

"That would be great," Trunks replied, "I'm taking Pan to the lookout today, so I was thinking we might be needing some, after training."

"Ah, yes," Korin mused, "it depends on what kind of training you plan on doing, though."

As we left Korin's, I questioned Trunks again on what a senzu was. "It's a bean," he replied, "when you eat one, it heals all of your injuries, restores your power, and fills you up. They're extremely useful in battle. Unfortunately, we ran out of senzus when your father was still alive, but I brought back some more seeds from the past timeline, and Korin's been growing them again. We won't ever run out again, I hope."

It still amazed me how much people were missing out on. Most people had no idea of the world I was slowly being introduced to; they had no idea about flying clouds or magic beans, or even that there was supposed to be a guardian of the Earth. I felt privileged that I could be a part of all of this, and I hoped that my mum would slowly come around to all of this too.

The palace at the very top of the tower was magnificent. A huge, upside-down dome, the top surface was covered in large white tiles that reflected the bright light of the sun, while the sides were richly decorated in red, yellow and blue designs. Rows of pines circled the outer edge of the lookout, while palm trees cut across the middle, closer towards the main building.

The building itself looked to be in perfect condition, although I already knew it was ancient, even older than the Egyptian pyramids. The architecture was that of some exotic style, long forgotten by anyone who lived on the Earth below.

"Wow," I breathed, as Trunks set me down on the lookout, "its so…" Lost for words, I stood there gazing at my surroundings.

"Its pretty cool, huh?" Trunks asked, taking my hand in his. "Lets see if we can find Mr. Popo."

I was pretty nervous about meeting a genie; I had no idea what he would look like, or what he would do for that matter. I looked up at Trunks- he seemed to be perfectly at ease- and felt a little better after that. Still, I wondered what Korin had meant about needing-or not needing- the senzus for training.

The genie seemed to appear out of nowhere, he moved so quietly. Since I was used to hearing a person's approach before I saw them, his movement from somewhere within the palace startled me, and I couldn't help but jump. Trunks chuckled, moving his arm around my waist and pulling me closer towards him.

"I won't ever let anything happen to you," he whispered, "so you don't have to worry." To the genie, he spoke much louder. "Hi there, Mr. Popo, long time no see!"

"Why hello Trunks," came the reply in an odd, but kind voice. "Who is this that you've brought along?"

While Trunks explained to the genie who I was, I tried to refrain from staring at the creature, who didn't look anything like I had expected. He was pudgy and short, wearing exotic clothes and a turban. I had to admit, his clothes did seem suited to this place, though.

His skin was midnight black, contrasting magnificently with his wide, round eyes, and the bright red of his lips. He didn't appear to have any hair at all, and his ears were large and pointed, a gold earring hanging from each one.

He wasn't what I expected, but I could tell straight away that he certainly was magical.

Popo turned to me, smiling. "So, you are learning to fight?" he asked, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Yes," I replied, looking down at my feet. I suddenly felt very insignificant, standing next to someone who had been alive for many millennia.

"Hmm," he mumbled, before turning towards the main building. "Follow me," he called over his shoulder, and Trunks gave my hand a reassuring squeeze as we started towards the retreating figure.

We walked in silence, Trunks seeming to be lost in thought, while I looked around in awe, trying to memorise as much as I could of the place.

"Here," Mr. Popo stopped suddenly, gesturing to a large, red door. Pulling it open by the large, gold handle, he gestured for Trunks and I to enter.

"What is this place?" Trunks asked the genie, once we were inside. "I've never seen this room before."

"It's the pendulum room," Popo replied, and I noted that there was, in fact, a giant pendulum hanging from the dark roof, swinging ominously two and fro. "This room allows a person to be transported to any time and place in the whole universe."

"What?" Trunks asked, clearly shocked. "Its like a time machine?"

"No, no," the genie chuckled, "it transports only your mind, not your body. If you were to go to the past in this room, it would only be an impression of the world, not reality. Your actions, while there, would not actually occur, and they will not alter future events. Your body will stay standing in this room, only your mind will go elsewhere."

I didn't really understand what he had just said, and it must have clearly shown on my face, for the genie turned to me with a smile.

"Its better if I just show you, then you will understand," he said. "You want to know more of your Saiyan heritage, don't you child? Use this room, and you will find what you are looking for."

I gasped, my eyes widening. When he had said _'any time or place,'_ I had thought that perhaps that meant you could go to other planets- to the Saiyan planet- but how had he known?

"This will be good for her training," Mr. Popo said to Trunks, "and I will send you with her, but you must not help her. She must learn to fight for herself, or she will never get any stronger."

Before either of us could answer, the genie stepped back, and the world suddenly flashed around me. Thankfully, Trunks' hand was still intertwined with mine, so I at least knew he was with me, but the experience was still truly terrifying.

I blinked and gasped for air, my legs suddenly collapsing from underneath me. Trunks grunted, and I felt his ki increase slightly, his legs tensing beside me.

"The gravity here is heavier than that of Earth," he told me, lifting me back up to my feet. "You can handle it, though."

He was right. It was the sudden change of gravity that had caught me off guard, throwing me to the ground. By increasing my ki a little, I found that I could stand in it easily.

I looked to the sky, and was shocked to see the colour above was not the pretty blue I was used to, but a blood red instead, gray clouds floating here and there.

"Where are we?" I asked, further noting our surroundings. We were in some sort of desert, although up ahead I could see a city, the white and purple towers rising out of the sand like some sort of man-made oasis.

Trunks continued to look around, his hand gripping mine firmly. "Vegeta," he finally said, frowning into the distance.

"What?" I asked. "What does this place have to do with your father?"

"Not my father," came the reply, "the planet. Planet Vegeta. That is where we are now."

"Are you sure?" I asked, suddenly apprehensive. Yes, I had wanted to learn more of my Saiyan heritage, but at the same time I was scared. Trunks and Bulma had both told me of the ruthless nature of Saiyans, and now we were on a planet full of them.

"I'm sure. One of the few conversations I had with my father in the past, was about this place. This is exactly how he described it."

I clung closer to his warm body as the wind picked up, blowing my ponytail around so that it whipped me in the face.

"This isn't good," Trunks continued. "We don't fit in."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "We're Saiyans."

"We're half-breeds," he replied, "something that was frowned upon by the Saiyans. If we looked like Gohan, maybe we would get away with it. But look at me, my hair and eyes are all wrong, and you're not much better."

I gasped, suddenly understanding. _'All full blooded Saiyans have black eyes, and black hair,'_ Trunks had told me, the day we first met. My eyes were blue, and Trunks' colouring stood out on Earth, let alone on a planet where everyone had the same hair and eyes.

"Well, maybe we should just go back to the lookout, then?" I suggested.

Trunks looked down at me, his mouth pressed into a grim line, and his eyebrows furrowed. "I don't think that's an option at this point," he said. "Mr. Popo told me I had to let you fight, and I don't think he's going to let us return until you do."

I gulped, trying hard to remain calm. "You're saying I have to go fight Saiyans?" I asked. "Saiyans, who massacre entire alien races so that they can on sell the planets, you want me to _fight_ them!" By now my voice had risen, the panic setting in.

Trunks gripped my shoulders, staring into my eyes. "You need to calm down," he said in a quiet voice, full of authority. "You are stronger than all of the others on this planet, we already know that. However, you are inexperienced, so you'll have a disadvantage there. If you panic, you will get hurt. So stay calm."

I looked away, not wanting to deal with anyone at the moment. How did I get myself into this mess?

Trunks pulled me close, wrapping his arms tight around me. "Panda," he whispered in my ear, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. "Panda, look at me."

I did as he asked, and he kissed me passionately, with more force than he ever had before. "I won't ever let anything happen to you, Panda," he said with determined eyes, "you're far too important to me."

We decided it would be best to run over to the city, making sure we kept our ki levels low enough that they would not stand out in the crowd. Saiyans didn't seem to have the ability to lower their ki levels, so that there were plenty high enough to not make ours- at running level at least- seem any different than others.

"At least this is all in our heads, right?" I said to Trunks as we approached the city.

"Yeah," he replied, a small smile gracing his lips. His eyes still looked wary though, and the sick feeling in my gut grew stronger. If he was worried- the powerful Super Saiyan that he was- something wasn't right.

Trunks slowed down completely, grabbing my arm and bringing me close to him. "Don't make any unnecessary noise," he whispered, directly into my ears. "Remember, all of these people have all of the same abilities as we have, if you can here them, they can here us too."

We edged into the city, looking down each deserted street before traveling in a quick run to the next hiding spot. I pulled Trunks' ear down to my level, whispering as quietly as I could into it.

"What is the purpose of this? What are we looking for?"

"I don't really know, Pan," he whispered back, "but Popo won't let us out until he thinks you've learnt something."

I didn't really know how I could learn something in a desolate place like this.

"Pan," Trunks whispered again at the next corner, "think about it. This place isn't even around anymore. Even with my father's stories, nothing compares to seeing it in person. It's the only chance we may ever have to see our heritage first-hand. We can both learn things here."

I looked around, seeing the streets with new eyes. This certainly looked like a place for the poorer Saiyans, and Trunks had told me my grandfather had been a low class. Could my relatives be around here somewhere?

"Trunks," I asked, "_when_ are we?"

"I don't know Pan," he answered, frowning, "I really don't."

We could sense a huge cluster of ki in the direction we were heading towards. I felt almost as if I were some kind of suicidal animal- a deer perhaps- wandering into the den of many, very hungry lions.

As we rounded the corner we saw the first of them, five Saiyans talking in loud voices. I could just make out what they were saying.

"An' then Bardock comes along an' whops 'im on the head an' bam! He's dead as a doornail!"

"Ahhh, you give me too much credit, Toma," the man I assumed to be Bardock replied. "You know I wouldn't be able to do this stuff without my crew behind me."

This second man had been sitting, concealed behind some of the others. He stood now, and I gasped audibly. His hair, his face even, it was as if he were a clone of my grandfather Goku. He had to be a relation of some sort, the resemblance was too close to deny.

Unfortunately, my gasp had been heard by the lone female there. She turned, her tail flickering behind her, and pressed something on the contraption over her eye. The rest in the group were now looking too, and too late I realised that I had stepped out unconsciously, making myself clearly visible.

"Hey!" one of the taller men called out, "Who are you?"

I've never really been a quick thinker. When things happen suddenly, I usually take a few seconds to work out what to do next. Sometimes, you don't even have those few seconds.

They were flying towards me now, all five looking graceful, and deadly. Luckily for me, Trunks was a quick thinker. He sprang out from the wall he had been behind, grabbing my hand and sprinting in the opposite direction.

We rounded a corner, coming face to face with an even larger group now. Within seconds, we were surrounded.

"What are they?" the female who had first seen me said, while screwing up her nose. "Some kind of alien vermin, that's for sure."

I gripped Trunks' hand tighter, standing as close to him as I possibly could. "It's not working," he hissed at me.

"What?" I asked, my voice tense.

"My transformation! Its not working! I can't increase my ki any higher!" I looked to his face and saw pure terror. Sensing Trunks' ki as it was, it was only enough to handle a few of the Saiyans at a time, but certainly not the whole group present.

"How…" I began to ask, but my sentence was cut short by blow to the cheek, sending my crashing to the ground. It stung like hell, and when I stood up, I saw that Trunks had been dealt the same.

It was the female who had attacked me. She smirked, her tail waving in pleasure. "I think we should take them to the king," she said to the others, "we might get a nice reward for catching a few spies."

I stepped back, my hands forming into fists. "Pan!" Trunks yelled, "increase your ki!"

"Shut up!" said a huge Saiyan, knocking Trunks hard on the head, causing him to crumple on the ground.

"Trunks!" I yelled, starting towards him. I'd only made it a few steps when my head suddenly hurt, and everything went black.

***

When I next came to, the first thing I noticed was that I was lying on something soft. "Mmphmm," I groaned, a hand moving unconsciously to my head. "What the hell happened?"

"Well, isn't that rich," a deep voice rumbled, "The spies are demanding answers. _Tsk_, they certainly don't have any manners, do they son?"

"No sir," came the voice of a small boy, "no manners at all."

I sat up, and suddenly realised that I was in a large room, the roof held up by stone pillars, and light streaming in though high, stained glass windows. It almost seemed like an old cathedral from Earth, or a castle or something.

A castle.

I looked up at the man who had spoken, my eyes widening in shock. Deep black eyes bore into my own, the eyebrows turned down in a slight frown. Black hair rose in a flame above the head, with a large widows peak framing the face. The face that looked just like Trunks' father, and just like Trunks.

It didn't take me long to realise who it was, or where I was. The man in front of me was clearly the King of Saiyans, and I was in his palace, sitting on the red carpet, surrounded by the strongest of Saiyan guards.

"She has strange eyes," came the little voice again, and my gaze dropped to the little boy standing beside the king's leg. He looked no older than three, but had the same looks as his father, the frowning eyes, handsome face, and hair that rose in a flame.

It was Vegeta. Trunks' father.

He looked cute, and I smiled at him. What a stupid mistake.

Faster than I could react, I was slapped across the face, leaving my other cheek burning. I looked up expecting to see that the king had given me such a blow, but instead came face to face with the little prince, now scowling at me.

"How dare you look at me like that!" he spat. "I am a prince! You should bow at me feet!"

The king chuckled, picking up the boy and passing him to a guard. "Go see your mother," he told the child, "I wouldn't want you to kill our guests before I get to question them." When the boy had left the building, the king turned back to me.

"Tell me who you are," he said calmly. "Tell me, and perhaps I will let you and your friend live."

I looked to my side for the first time, noticing Trunks lying on my left, still unconscious.

"Uh…I…my name is Pan," I said quietly.

"I don't care what your name is, girl! It's who you are! What you are!" the king suddenly bellowed. "Are you a spy? What are you? You smell Saiyan, but your not!"

I was shaking with fear and shock by this point, and not until he put his hand on mine, did I realise Trunks was awake. "Tell him the truth," he croaked. "Its all in your head, anyway."

"I'm part Saiyan," I said to the king, "and so is he," I said, motioning to Trunks. The king's eyes widened, and he made an angry sound, something between a hiss and a growl.

"Part Saiyan?" he finally said, frowning even more than before. "You're telling me you're some kind of half-breed?"

"Yes," I replied. "My father was half Saiyan. That's all. His father was full Saiyan." I thought it best not to mention that his father was actually the boy who was just here, the king would think I was crazy.

The king made a movement towards me, and Trunks growled; the same protective sound coming from his throat that always occurred when he thought men were getting too close to me. This didn't impress the king at all, and he attacked Trunks, hitting him in the face and gut. I screamed, but remained paralyzed by fear.

By time the king was done, Trunks was vomiting blood, sporting a split lip, swollen eye and broken nose. He looked at me, and I saw the fear in his eyes. It scared me more than anything else. He had always been the strong one. He had always saved me. Now it seemed as if it were my turn.

The king stepped towards me, pulling me to my feet by my arm. He was tall, far taller than Trunks, I realised, and he bent his head so that he could look me closer in the eye.

"Hnn," he mumbled, "yes, I see now, you are a half-breed. Such a shame, if it weren't for your odd eyes, you'd be quite an pretty lass." He made a sound in his throat, one that I had heard occasionally before, in moments when Trunks and I were alone.

I knew, somehow, what that noise signified among Saiyans.

Lust.

Trunks growled, even louder than before. Despite his injuries, he launched himself at the king, trying in vain to hit him. For some reason, there seemed to be a wall on his power, and he couldn't summon the strength he needed. It only took two blows, and Trunks was thrown across the room, yelling in pain.

The king moved swiftly back to me, yanking on my hair, pulling my face closer to his own. Something moved like a vice around my waist, and I realised slowly that it was his tail, gripping me in place.

"Perhaps I _could_ spare you," he said. "You're quite a unique creature, after all." His mouth was close to my ear now, and I could feel his breath on my cheek. "Hmm," he continued, "you certainly smell like a Saiyan."

That was it. I wasn't going to let some old jerk treat me like a piece of meat, no matter who he was. I had a boyfriend, and he was the only man I'd ever want touching me.

The king, distracted by his own disgusting thoughts, didn't realise I was aiming for his gut- right under the armour- until it was too late. Taking advantage of this, I hit him again, in the head, and then kicked him in the side, making sure my ki was now as strong as it could get.

Shocked, the king staggered, but quickly regained his ground. With a fierce growl, he lunged at me, and we began fighting. Trunks had been right; I was too inexperienced, and even with my strength, I found it hard to fight the king.

I hadn't been paying attention to what Trunks had been doing, but now realised he was fighting off guards, one warrior in blue and lavender, surrounded by a swarm of black. I moved closer to Trunks, until we stood back-to-back, ready to help each other fight.

The king was not a stupid man, and I saw something flash in his eyes as he watched my interaction with Trunks. Too quick for me to see, he had thrown Trunks on the ground, and was preparing to fire a ki blast at him from close range.

Time seemed to slow down, just as it did when I was shot at in the alley. Suddenly, I saw things with perfect clarity. In his condition, Trunks would be killed by that ki blast.

I could not let that happen.

I dived in front of the king, landing in a sprawl of limbs on top of Trunks. We looked into each other's eyes, somehow knowing that this was the end, our very last second before death.

I saw the love he had for me then, and I knew he saw my love for him.

The fire burnt hot, only for a second, then I felt strangely cold, and my eyes focused again.

I was standing in the dark room once more, the huge pendulum hanging from the roof. Trunks was still holding my hand, his grip tight around me fingers. I looked up into his face, and saw a vast mixture of emotions swirling in his eyes. Suddenly, his face seemed to go blank.

"Mr. Popo," he said in a monotone, "I couldn't access all of my ki. Why?"

"I warned you," the genie replied. "I told you that you were not allowed to help her. When you did, the room stopped you from using your ki, so that Pan could fight herself."

"I see," Trunks replied, his voice still sounding dead. "Thank you for the training to day. We'll be going now."

All three of us walked silently to the lookout edge, before Mr. Popo finally bade us farewell. "Come visit sometime," he said, smiling.

Trunks transformed, momentarily examining the golden aura around himself, before he picked me up and jumped off. We fell for a few moments, until he finally started flying, blasting off with a bang.

I looked up at his face and knew something was seriously wrong. He still wore that blank expression, and didn't even seem to notice me there, in his arms.

"Trunks," I said, wanting to talk to him. When he made no movement, I spoke again. "Trunks," I repeated more loudly, pressing my hand into his shoulder, "Trunks, look at me!"

Suddenly the air was rushing around me, and I realised I was falling, plummeting towards the Earth. Still new to flying, my shock made me momentarily forget how to stop the Earth from surging any closer towards me.

As the ground came closer, strong arms suddenly gripped me, and I looked up to see Trunks again, his face contorted in pain and anger. He landed on the ground, placing me down firmly, and stepped back.

"I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you," he said grimly. "But look what happened today. I wasn't even strong enough to save you, from…from those pathetic weaklings! From him! My own bloody grandfather!"

"It was just a dream," I replied, but he was already too far in his own thoughts to hear.

"I dropped you Pan!" he yelled. "Do you hate me now? I dropped you! I can't even protect you from a bunch of low class Saiyans! I…I can't…I can't…"

"Trunks!" I yelled back. "Don't be stupid! Mr. Popo did that, not you! He did it to me, to make me train! None of it was real! None!"

"I can't," he continued, "I just can't…I can't take it anymore. I can't handle losing anyone else. I can't lose you Pan, I can't… lose another person I love…" he fell to the ground, his hair now back to the usual lavender, and began to sob.

I rushed to him, falling to my knees and bundling him into my arms as best as I could. He buried his face in the fabric on my chest, his body shaking with every ragged breath.

"Shhh, there, there," I mumbled into his hair. "I'm not going anywhere, you won't ever loose me, I promise."

We sat there on the grass, in the middle of nowhere, holding each other for what seemed like hours. Finally, he spoke.

"I tried," he whispered, "I tried to save you."

"I know," I said, "You're the bravest person I've ever met."

He took in a deep breath, his grip on me tightening. "I know it was just something in our heads, just for training, but Kami, Pan, it felt real. The way he looked at you…it drove me insane."

"It drove me insane to see you get hurt. I hated it. But I did learn something, you know. I've never been in battle, I never knew what it was like to see people fight- actually fight- to the death," I told him, myself now on the verge of tears. "Its so scary," I added, my voice breaking.

We lay down in the grass, and I cried on his shoulder, holding him as tightly as I could, wishing that I never had to be parted from him, not even for a moment. He clung to me just as tight, and it seemed that we were in our own little world, just us two.

"I love you," I whispered, clinging even tighter.

He looked into my eyes, the bright blue piercing my own. "Do you really?" he asked, almost as if he couldn't believe it were true. "Do you really love me?"

"Yes," I breathed.

"I love you too, Pan," he said, his forehead pressed against mine. "I love you so much, it feels like I'm going to burst. I want you to be mine, forever."

"I am," I replied, kissing his lips. "I'm yours."

* * *

**A/N:** Whoa! That's a long chapter lol…it kinda got away on me, I couldn't stop myself from writing! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this one!

The story is really going to pick up from now on, so there's going to be lots more adventure etc…

By the way, if you don't know what the Pendulum room is, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu and Yamcha train in it before the Saiyans first arrive on Earth, they get sent to Planet Vegeta in order to show them how strong Saiyans are. It's only in the anime, though.


	10. Plans

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Plans

Some people hate the passing of time. They do things to avoid it, using expensive beauty treatments, or getting plastic surgery. Others wish time could go faster, so that they could hurry up and finish their work shift, or get home quicker after a hard day at school.

Whether we like it or not, time still passes; second after second, hour after hour. The seasons change, new life begins, and old life dies.

It is with this thought that I found myself laying on Trunks' bed, wrapped in denim jeans, woolly socks, and one of Trunks' huge Capsule Corp. jerseys, over the top of my thermal underwear. Even with all of this, I was cold, and so I slipped under the top blanket on his bed.

It was now the middle of winter, and the worst of the weather had set in. Although it didn't snow in West City, it still rained. A lot. Right now, it hammered against the window glass, and the wind howled along with it. Winter was always the noisiest of seasons.

Five and a half months ago, my life changed dramatically. I went from thinking I was just a little weird, to realising that I was in fact part alien, a descendant of a now extinct warrior race.

I'm sure most people would be freaked out to learn that they weren't even wholly human, but I've never really been like most people. For me, the new discovery was a blessing, bringing many benefits along with it.

My wonderful, handsome, chivalrous boyfriend was definitely one of the benefits.

"Mmm, Trunks," I began, poking my head out from under the blanket, "I'm still cold. Come cuddle me."

Trunks was presently seated at the desk in his room, typing away at his laptop. "I've almost finished," he replied, not even bothering to look up from the screen, "I've just gotta do a few more things, then I won't have to worry about work till Monday."

I huffed, pulling the blanket over my head, and curled up into a ball. I supposed I could have used my ki to warm me up, but that would have defied the purpose of trying to get Trunks' attention.

It was Saturday afternoon, but I had already finished all of my homework for the weekend on Friday night, as I always did. That way, I would have the weekend free, spending Saturdays with Trunks, and Sundays either at Mt. Paozu or at grandpa Hurcule's place.

Finally, Trunks shut his laptop down, and moved over to the bed, sliding under the blanket to lie beside me. Warm, strong arms wrapped around my middle, as he pulled me closer to him, burying his head in my hair.

"Are you feeling better now, all cosy and warm?" he murmured, while kissing my neck. "Or do you need some more rigorous activity to get all that blood pumping?"

I giggled, nuzzling into his chest. "You don't need to ask me every time you wanna make out," I mumbled back, "just kiss me."

He did just that, rolling on top of me, and trapping me underneath. He was an amazing kisser, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"I love you," I giggled back.

He smiled too, one eyebrow raised. "Well, I don't really see what's exactly funny about that, but I have to say, I love you too."

We heard footsteps in the hall, and sat up, trying to look inconspicuous. It was one of Bulma's rules, sorted out in conjunction with my mum: the bedroom door had to stay open, until I was eighteen.

Trunks had grumbled profusely when Bulma had told us, but she insisted that because of my age, she had to do the responsible parent thing. Trunks had told her she was being ridiculous, at twenty-one, he had enough common sense to know what was right, but Bulma wouldn't back down.

"Hey kids," she called, still in the hallway, "I'm coming in, so no humping, okay."

Trunks buried his now red face in his hands. Unfortunately for him, Bulma was never very tactful when it came to those kinds of subjects.

She walked in, wearing layers of clothing to combat the cold. "Hey, I just wanted to ask you Pan, would you mind giving this to Chi Chi next time you see her? She left it last time she was here." She handed me a small photo album, full of photos of my grandfather and his friends.

"Sure," I replied. "I'm not sure if I'll go there tomorrow, if the weather's still like this I'm not too keen on flying around, but I'll definitely go there sometime within the next week."

"Great!" she smiled, and turned to leave. "I'm proud of you kids," she said in the doorway, her eyes shining, before leaving.

"What was that about?" I asked Trunks.

"Oh, she always gets like that every time she thinks about everyone who died. I guess it was the photo album that made her think about it today," he replied.

I put the album on the desk, and pulled Trunks back under the blanket, snuggling up so that my head lay on his chest. I had to talk to him about something, but every time I went to say it, I chickened out, and buried my head in his neck instead.

"What is it?" he asked. "You're all squirmy today, something's bothering you."

"Mmmph," I mumbled. "Promise not to say anything, until I finish? No laughing or anything?"

"Of course," he replied.

"Well," I began, "I had a dream last night."

"A dream," he said, smiling, "what about?"

"A dragon," I replied, "it was about a dragon, and a green planet. It got me thinking."

He pulled back, looking at me with a frown. "Thinking about what?"

"Dragonballs…the Namek aliens have some, right?"

"Pan," Trunks sighed, "we don't know where New Namek is. If we did, don't you think we would have gone a long time ago, to bring back the dead? Don't go filling yourself up with false hope, Panda. It would take years, decades even, to search the universe for them. Its not possible."

I went back to kissing his neck, feeling somewhat dejected by what he had just said. "But what if there's another way of finding the planet?" I mumbled.

"There isn't," he said, his voice serious. "Please, Pan, don't be silly."

"I'm not," I frowned, "and you promised not to say anything until I finished. I haven't finished yet."

He shut his mouth, obviously not happy. His lips were pressed into the thin line that only occurred when he thought something was wrong.

"King Kai," I said.

"What about him?"

"He's the Lord of the worlds, he'll know where it is. We just have to ask him," I replied.

His lips remained the same, but I saw realisation flicker in his eyes, if only for a second. "How will you ask him, Pan?" he said.

"Well Bulma said he talked to my grandpa after they fought your dad, remember," I began, speaking faster as my plan came tumbling out, "if he talked to them then, why can't we talk to him now?"

I jumped up on the bed, not caring if I looked stupid. "King Kai!" I called out. "King Kai! I wanna talk to you!"

Trunks stared at me as if I were crazy. "Pan," he said, "your grandfather was his student, that's why he talked to him. If he's watching over a million different worlds, billions of people, do you really think he'll hear you?"

I frowned at him. "How will I ever know until I try?" I said, before resuming my calling. "King Kai! KING KAI!"

"Yes, yes," came a voice from all around, "I'm here. What is it that you want?"

Shocked, I remained silent, looking at Trunks with wide eyes. He returned the look, his mouth falling open.

"Hello?" came the voice again. "This better not be a prank call."

"King Kai?" I asked quietly.

"Who else? It was me you were calling. You woke me up from my nap with all that racket."

My heart was now beating like crazy. My plan had actually worked! Either that, or I was going mad, hearing voices in my head.

"Well, my name is Pan, and I wanted to ask you something," I told the voice.

"Yes, yes, I gathered that much. Ask away."

"Well, how do you get to New Namek from Earth? Like, in a spaceship, I mean…umm, where do you send the spaceship?" I looked to Trunks, pleading for him to help me with my eyes.

"Uhh, she means, can you tell us the coordinates to the planet New Namek," Trunks said.

"Hmm," the voice said, "why exactly do you want to go to Namek, now?"

"I want to wish back my dad," I answered truthfully, "and his friends, too. I've never met them before."

"And who is your father?" the voice asked. I was surprised that he didn't already know.

"Gohan Son, the son of Goku. I think you know them," I told the Kai.

The voice spluttered, clearly in shock. "Gohan?" it asked, "you say Gohan's your father? How old are you?"

"Sixteen, almost seventeen," I answered. "I don't think he even knows I exist. He was fourteen when it, uh, happened."

A strange chocking noise seemed to come from the Kai. "Are you serious?" he asked, "fourteen?"

"Umm, yeah," I replied, "So can we have the coordinates?" I didn't really want to be discussing how young my father was with a voice from the Lord of the worlds, it just seemed too strange.

"Well who's that with you?" the voice asked.

"My name is Trunks Briefs," Trunks replied, "I'm the son of Bulma and Vegeta."

"Ahh, yes of course," the Kai said, "I remember now, you destroyed those androids. Good for you."

We were all silent for a moment, and I wondered if the Kai's connection had somehow been broken. I sat down on the bed, looking upwards and wondering what would happen next.

"You want to wish Gohan back? And the others?" the voice asked, more serious than before.

"Is that possible?" I asked it back.

"Yes, yes it is. Not Goku, though. His death was a natural one, so the dragonballs will not work on him. He'll have to remain in Otherworld, but the others, they can all be wished back."

"Are they with you?" I asked the voice. "I've been told warriors train with you."

"Yes, they're all here. Even Vegeta, unfortunately. He's always causing trouble."

"What?" Trunks asked. "My father's with you? Not in hell?"

"No. Goku intervened when it came time for Yemma to give judgment," the Kai replied, "Goku told Yemma that he wouldn't help him keep those in hell out of trouble anymore, unless Yemma allowed Vegeta to keep his body and train on my planet. Goku wanted to have Vegeta as a sparring partner, he was a little bored before that."

"Wow," Trunks mumbled, more to himself than anyone, "wait till mum hears about this."

"Will they want to come back?" I asked the Kai.

"I imagine so," he replied. "I'm sure they would. How about I ask them, if they say yes, I'll get back to you, and tell you New Namek's location then."

"Yeah!" I said, feeling excited, "that's great! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, child," he replied. "Would you like me to inform Gohan of your, uh, existence?"

"Oh, yeah," I said, thinking it over, "I guess you should. He has to find out sometime. Tell him I'm Videl's daughter."

"Videl. All right, I'll ask them and contact you later," the voice replied. "Nice talking to you."

"Yeah. Thanks again!" I yelled, waving at the ceiling.

"Pan, honey," came Bulma's voice from the door, "who are you speaking to?" She looked concerned, eyeing me up as if I were going crazy.

"You didn't hear him, mum?" Trunks asked. "It was King Kai. Pan called him and he answered. We might be getting the coordinates to New Namek."

"New…Namek?" she asked, her hand placed over her heart. "You mean…they might…come back?"

"Maybe," Trunks replied. "King Kai's going to ask them if they want to return. If they say yes, they will. Mum, dad didn't go to hell. He went to King Kai's planet with the rest of them."

"What? Vegeta?" she asked. By now she had sunk to the ground, leaning back on the doorframe for support, and appeared to be in a daze. "Vegeta might come back," she whispered to herself.

It was no secret that neither Bulma nor my grandmother had ever moved on after the death of their partners. I think the reason behind this is the fact that they already know what happens when a person dies, and they both knew that they would, hopefully, be able to see their loved ones again someday, even if they had to wait decades before they could.

"Oh, poor Nana," I said, suddenly realising that she still wouldn't get her husband back. "Grandpa won't be wished back."

"Why not?" Bulma asked, already back to her usual self.

"Goku's death was a natural one," Trunks replied. "Not even the Namek dragon can revive someone after a natural death."

Bulma looked at the ground, picking at the carpet absentmindedly. "At least she'll have her son back," she said eventually, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost my boy."

Trunks moved over to Bulma, picking her up and holding her to his chest. She wept on his shoulder, great sobs coming from her body. "Its okay mum," Trunks said to her quietly, kissing the top of her head. "Everything's going to be good now."

I smiled to myself, a great big grin making its way across my face.

I would finally meet my dad.

* * *

**A/N:** I've read fanfictions that say the dragonballs can only revive people within a year of their death...is that true for the earth dragonballs? I can't ever remember seeing it in the series... Anyway, if that is the case with the Earth dragonballs, its not for the Namek ones. I figure this from the fact that the namek year is around 180 Earth days if I can remember right, and at least Tien and Chiaoztu are wished back over 180 days after their death (they have to wait for a whole Namek year to pass after Yamcha's resurrection before they can come back too). I just wanted to point that out now, in case anyone thought of it...I say that there's no limit in terms of time when wishing back people with the Namek dragonballs.

Thanks to all of those who have reviewed so far, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)


	11. Conversations with the dead

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Conversations with the dead

The stormy weather didn't ease up on Sunday. In fact, it got worse, drowning Orange Star City in even more rain than West City had received. I really didn't feel like flying through a thunderstorm, so I decided to put off visiting Mt Paozu until the next weekend.

It was a good thing that I had an excuse not to visit Nana Chi Chi, really. The possibility of my father coming back had made me extremely excited, but Trunks and I had decided not to tell anyone else the news until we knew for sure that we could get the dragonballs.

In terms of staying quiet, it was best if I didn't see Nana at all, after all, I apparently wasn't very good at keeping secrets, thanks to my grandfather's wonderful genes.

King Kai didn't make any contact on Sunday. By the afternoon, I had grown so worried that I began calling Trunks every hour, asking whether the Kai had contacted him instead. By nine, I think I was driving even the usually calm Trunks insane with my nervous panic.

"Panda," he told me when I called him for the sixth time, "you've got to calm down. He'll get back to us when he's ready, and I will tell you if he contacts me, _I promise._ I've gotta get some reading done for work tomorrow, I wish I could spend all night on the phone with you, but I still have heaps to get through."

"All right," I sighed, feeling a little sad. Trunks was my rock, when I felt nervous, speaking to him always made me feel better. I knew that as soon as I put the phone down, the horrible butterflies would return again.

"Just meditate," he told me.

"I know," I replied, "but its not working!"

"It will," he said, sighing. "I love you beautiful, but I've gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, right?"

"Yeah," I sighed again. "Tomorrow. I love you too." With that, I hung up, and the terrible nerves came back again.

My night's sleep was awful. I tossed and turned, and tried all that I could think of to put me to sleep. Finally, somewhere around three, I managed to fall into a dreamless slumber.

School was even worse. I found it hard to pay attention to anything, and was so jittery that I accidentally squeezed a metal desk leg too hard, leaving a definite handprint in it. I tried to smooth the metal out again, but only succeeded in warping it further. Luckily, no one seemed to notice.

I was sitting in English, fifteen minutes before the final bell, when contact finally came.

"Pan," the familiar voice said loudly, making me jump in my seat.

"Agh! Um, yes, I'm here," I answered; momentarily forgetting I was in a crowded classroom. The teacher looked at me curiously, her eyebrow raised. I realised my mistake, and sunk lower in my seat.

"Pan, the boys all reached a decision," the Kai told me.

"Umm, okay," I whispered, now fully aware that I was receiving stares from my peers for the fact that I appeared to be talking to myself. "Look, can you hold on, I'm kind of in the middle of English class right now."

"Hold on!" the voice said incredulously, "I'm the Lord of the worlds! I don't hold on for people! You're lucky to be talking to such an amazing, wise person such as myself."

"Okay, okay," I whispered back, "just give me a minute, please!"

I got up, hurrying over to the teacher's desk. "Miss, can I please go use the bathroom?" I asked, in the sweetest voice I could muster.

"Its only fifteen minutes until class ends, Pan. Please go sit down and finish your writing, you can hold on," she answered me sternly.

"No, no I can't hold on," I told her, dancing on the spot for further emphasis, "I'm really busting!"

The teacher looked at me with almost pity, and sighed. "Fine," she finally said, "but make it quick."

As I reached the door, I heard her mutter under her breath. "Kami, that girl's smart and pretty, but she sure is weird. No wonder she has no friends." I froze for a moment, feeling the pang of hurt that came every time I heard those kinds of comments. With an exasperated breath, I left the classroom, and walked briskly to the toilets.

"All right, I can talk now," I said once inside. Thankfully, the bathroom was unoccupied.

King Kai laughed, "That was a good performance!" he told me cheerfully, "you should be an actor!"

I rolled my eyes, and took in a deep breath. Did he not realise how highly strung the wait for news was making me?

"Okay, I'll tell you," he said after his laughter had died down. "They said yes. Everyone wants to return to Earth."

"Really!" I said, squealing with excitement. "They really wanna come back?"

"Of course!" he answered me. "You'd have to be crazy to want to stay dead," he added. "Now, I think its safe to assume that you won't know what I'm talking about if I give you the coordinates to New Namek, so I'll contact Trunks, and give them to him."

"Good idea," I said. "Space travel isn't exactly my forte."

He laughed again, and I joined in too. It was such a relief to know that my plan could go ahead. "You know," he told me, "you're lucky they revamped the dragonballs so that more than one person can be wished back at once."

"That wasn't possible before?" I asked, stunned. I hadn't thought of that.

"No, before all the trouble with Frieza, it was just one person per wish. Now it's an unlimited amount of people, and you get three wishes. You need to wish them all back to life, but don't worry about wishing them to Earth. Goku will take them to the check in station at the beginning of Snake Way, and Kami will be able to transport them to the Earth's lookout, so you will still have two wishes at your disposal."

"Really? I don't know what else to wish for," I mumbled, more to myself.

"Don't worry about that now, little one," the Kai told me, "there are other matters to discuss." I waited for him to continue, but another voice spoke instead.

"Hi there!" a man's voice said happily, "Its great to see you, Pan!"

"Who are you?" I asked, just a little freaked out.

"Goku!" King Kai spoke again. "You were meant to wait until I told you to speak. Do you want to give your grandchild a heart attack?"

"Aww, but King Kai," the man's voice complained, "I'm just excited to see her, I've never had a granddaughter before!"

"You've had one for the over sixteen years," the Kai replied bluntly. "Your son was just too silly to know."

"Umm, excuse me," I cut in softly, looking up to the bathroom ceiling, ignoring the rude graffiti that adorned it.

"My name's Goku!" the man's voice said. "I'm your grandpa! You're really pretty! Are you strong? Can you fight? Have you been training?"

I laughed nervously, gaining a strong sense of deja vu. It seemed that Grandpa Goku was similar to his wife, when it came to asking questions. It hit me at that moment; that I was actually conversing with a dead man. And I had thought life was strange when I found out I was an alien.

"Hi," I said meekly, "umm, yeah, I'm strong. And I can fight, Trunks has been training me."

"Who's Trunks?" he asked. My mouth fell open; I would have thought he would have at least known who that was.

"Bulma's son," I replied. "Vegeta's son," I added after.

"Oh yeah!" Goku said. "Vegeta's son! How old would he be, like fifteen?"

"Twenty-two actually," I said laughing, before I realised how inappropriate laughter really was. "He was a month old when you died," I added, in a more serious voice.

"That's right, I remember Bulma having a baby when she came to visit me, while I was still awake," he said, his voice also somber, "Have I really been gone that long?"

"Yeah," I replied sadly, "Nana Chi Chi misses you."

"Oh," he said after a pause. "I miss her too. I wish I could come back, but my death was natural so I'm stuck here. She'll be happy to see Gohan, though." He sounded very sad at this point, and I felt the first warning of tears pricking the backs of my eyes.

"I wish you could come back too," I told him. "I wish I could meet you."

"Well, one day you will," he said truthfully, "but lets hope that's a long time away. You don't want to die just yet."

It was at this point that the bell rang signaling the end of school, making me jump. "Crap!" I said, "I forgot about English!"

I ran back to the classroom, while my dead grandfather continued to talk to me. "Who's English?" he asked.

"Its not a person," I replied, slowly realizing that Trunks was right when he called my grandfather a bit of an idiot, "English is a language. The language we're speaking right now. I'm at school, and I just had English class…I'm going to be in trouble now."

"Why?" he asked, but I was too busy trying to apologise to the teacher to reply. After a stern lecture on the importance of using the bathroom before class, she let me go.

"That lady seems mean," my grandfather commented.

"She thinks I'm strange, that's all," I told him. "I don't really blame her, considering it all."

"Considering what?" he asked. "You don't seem strange to me."

By now I was walking up the school road, awaiting Trunks' arrival in his latest convertible. It had become the usual routine, for him to pick me up on Monday afternoon.

"You know," I said to the voice, "the fact that I'm freakishly strong, run too fast, hear way better than everyone else, and eat like a pig. Humans find that weird, and I can't exactly just tell them 'hey! I'm part alien y'know'."

"Ohhh," my grandfather said, "I understand. Being different can be hard sometimes."

The way he said it made me think that he knew exactly what I was talking about, and I wondered if he wasn't as happy-go-lucky as he appeared to act.

Trunks drove up, stopping the car mere inches from me, and swinging open the passenger door. I slid in, and was immediately captured by warm, strong lips upon my own, before I could warn him of the audience we had.

"Are you married?" my grandpa asked.

Trunks' lips froze on my own, his eyes wide in surprise. He drew back slowly, not appearing to breathe.

"Goku?" he asked, apparently recognizing the voice.

"Yeah that's me. Who are you? How do you know who I am?" the dead man asked, sounding confused.

"I'm Trunks. Bulma and Vegeta's son," he answered. "I recognised your voice from, uh, home videos," he continued. I supposed he didn't want to have to explain about traveling to the past at this point. "And no, Pan and I are not married."

"But you were doing things married people do," my grandfather stated.

Trunks blushed, his jaw tensing, as he started the car. "Pan and I are dating," he told the voice. "It comes before marriage."

There was a pause, and I wondered what my grandfather would say next. For a brief second, I thought I heard the Kai chuckle.

"Okay!" my grandpa finally laughed. "So you'll get married later!"

"Uh, yeah," Trunks said, clearly uncomfortable.

Thankfully, King Kai decided to cut in at this point. "Goku, I think that Gregory has finished baking those muffins now, you should go see."

"Really!" my grandfather's shrill voice yelled in surprise, "I love muffins! Okay, I've gotta go now Pan, before Vegeta eats my food! Bye!"

"He's gone," King Kai said after a moment, laughing. "He can be a little naïve sometimes."

"Thanks," I said, relieved. "It was wonderful to talk to him, though."

King Kai then addressed Trunks, and began to talk to him about the dragonballs. Trunks pulled over in order to write down New Namek's coordinates, and they discussed the wishes.

"I'll talk to my mother about it," he told the Kai, "I have a few ideas for the others."

"As long as it doesn't alter too many things," the Kai replied, "you don't want to wreck the balance of the universe."

Trunks nodded, appearing to be in deep thought. After a moment, he spoke again. "I assume you told Gohan about Pan?" he asked King Kai.

"Ah, yes," came the reply. "He was quite shocked, as you can imagine. He's taken a look at you, Pan, but I think he wants to wait until he sees you in person to talk to you."

"He's been watching me?" I asked, a little freaked out. I hoped that I hadn't been doing anything embarrassing while he was looking.

King Kai chuckled. "Just a little today, while you were in class. You didn't do a very good job, fixing that desk," he snorted.

I blushed, pouting. Great, my father probably thought I was a total dork, breaking desks and whatnot.

"I need to go now, Vegeta and Goku are fighting over the muffins," the Kai said. "Good luck finding the dragonballs." With that, his voice was gone.

Trunks and I both slumped back in our seats, and remained silent for a while, lost in our own thoughts.

"Why do you think he didn't want to talk to me?" I asked Trunks softly. I didn't have to specify further, Trunks knew exactly who I was speaking about.

"Gohan was always a responsible person," he told me. "He wouldn't like the idea that he left a girl pregnant. It'll be his own guilt that's stopped him from speaking to you, not you, Panda."

I leaned over to wrap my arms around Trunks, burying my head in his shoulder. "I'm glad I have you to keep me sane," I murmured, "because my life seems pretty crazy at the moment."

"Hmmm," he sighed in agreement. "I need you too, Pan. It's going to be weird for both of us."

"Meeting your dad?" I asked him.

"No, I've done that before," he said dryly. "I know what to expect with Vegeta. Its Gohan I'm worried about. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to see him, but he was always my best friend…now I'm dating his daughter. I just hope it doesn't get too weird, for all of us."

I frowned in worry, looking into his eyes. "I love you," I told him. "No one will ever change that…my father won't change it for us…for you?" I said, the last part a question.

Trunks kissed me, a gentle action, but full of love. "You are my life," he told me honestly. "Nothing will ever change that. I will always put you first, Pan."

We hugged each other tightly. On the drive home, I wondered how my father would react to me, and to Trunks. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered about the other warriors. How would Trunks' father react to having me as a daughter-in-law? Apparently he had never liked my grandfather.

I wasn't having second thoughts. I really did want to have them all back, not just for me, but for everyone.

Still, I couldn't stop the worry.

_What if they don't like me?_

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last few chapters! It makes me so happy lol...

Anyways, I said in this chapter 'English is the language we're speaking'...I know Dragonball's originally from Japan, but since the story is in English I just decided to make it English as the Earth language...it'd be too confusing for me otherwise. I hope you all liked this chapter!


	12. Goodbyes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Goodbyes

On Tuesday night, I found myself sitting in the living room on the fourth floor of Capsule Corporation. Trunks had suggested that we break the news to my mother and Nana Chi Chi at the same time, and so Bulma had called both parties and invited them over for dinner.

My great grandfather was there too, as well as Master Roshi, Puar, Oolong, and Turtle. Dr. Briefs sat talking to Grandpa Ox about their respective grandchildren, while Mrs. Briefs chatted animatedly with my Nana. It seemed like a great get-together, except that my mother clearly felt out of place.

I couldn't blame her, we really were a mixed bunch of people, and mum hadn't exactly willingly become involved in the group. I sat next to her on the couch, leaving Trunks to discuss fighting techniques with the old master, and talked to mum quietly about her work and general gossip. I could tell she knew something was up, and I hoped she would take the impending news well.

It was in between dinner and desert, when Bulma stood up, tapping her glass elegantly and saying that she had an announcement to make. All eyes turned to her, and Trunks' hand found mine under the table, gripping it tightly in excitement, nervousness and support.

"Well," Bulma began, "I'm sure you're all wondering why exactly we're gathered here today. It's all thanks to Pan, actually. She's a smart girl, this one." She turned to me, grinning and looking stunning, despite her age.

"Pan had a wonderful idea last week, about contacting King Kai. Pan's told you about him before, hasn't she Videl?" My mother nodded, and Bulma continued.

"The kids talked to King Kai. He gave us coordinates to New Namek, where the dragonballs are. Goku can't come back because his death was natural- I'm so sorry, Chi Chi. But all the others, even Vegeta, are at King Kai's right now, and he told Pan that they all want to come back. So as soon as we can ready a spaceship, a trip will be made to New Namek, and the Earth's special forces will return."

The room was silent. Oolong, who had continued eating through the speech, now held a spoon halfway to his mouth. He appeared to be frozen, his eyes wide with shock, and the food he had been finishing fell softly onto his lap.

Nana swallowed loudly, clearing her throat. Calmly, she asked Bulma for confirmation. "You're telling us that Gohan's going to come back?"

"Yes," Bulma replied, "and Vegeta, Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, Piccolo, and Yajirobe. They're all going to come back. Kami will come back too."

It was silent for another few moments, everyone blinking in surprise, and trying to absorb the information.

"AAAAGGGHHH!" Nana screamed, making everyone jump. "My boy's coming back! He's coming back! Aaaah! Did you hear that Dad? Gohan's coming back!"

Grandpa Ox chuckled, wiping a few stray tears from his eyes. "I heard, Chi Chi," he said. "What wonderful news."

The table then erupted in animated conversation, everyone yelling over each other, talking excitedly about how wonderful it was going to be. The only ones remaining silent were my mother, and me.

"Are you okay, mum?" I asked her quietly. "I know its pretty surprising, but it'll be neat, don't you think? Trunks gets to see his dad, and I'll see mine."

She looked at me, her eyes wide and face pale. "Sure," she said quietly, "it'll be great." I could hear her heart beating at a much faster rate than usual, and thought it best to get her some fresh air. Half dragging her, we made our way onto the balcony.

Luckily, the weather had cleared up, and although it was icy outside, the sky was cloudless, with the stars shining brightly. Mum took big breaths, steadying herself against the railing.

"Don't get me wrong, Panny," she said after a while, "I'm glad this is happening, if it makes you happy. It's just…surprising, that's all. What will he think of me?"

"Mama," I replied softly, "you're the best mum in the world, really. You've done so well, keeping the both of us alive during the android attacks, raising a part-Saiyan child all by yourself. He'd be stupid not to see all the good things you've done. Don't worry, Mama, please don't worry."

We wrapped our arms around each other, and mum kissed my forehead. "I know I haven't always made the best decisions, Panny, but I've always tried my best for you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, y'know. Its just a shame the timing was a tad off."

I kissed her cheek. "I love you mama," I told her, "you're the best mum in the whole universe."

"I love you too, my little alien."

We laughed, and went back inside to celebrate with the others.

***

Less than a week later, we were back at Capsule Corp, arguing over the details.

"No!" my mother insisted, "You are not going to New Namek. Trunks can go by himself!"

"But mum!" I whined, "It was my idea in the first place! Let me go, _please_."

"I'll take good care of her, Videl," Trunks added. "She'll be perfectly safe with me, I'm a Super Saiyan, after all."

"I don't care if you're a super-whatever, my daughter is not going to spend two weeks in a spaceship _alone_ with her boyfriend! She'll come back pregnant! She has her whole life ahead of her, Trunks. This can't be all about you."

"M…me?" Trunks spluttered. "You think I want her to come along so I can have _sex _with her?"

"Of course! Why else would you want her to go?" my mother replied.

"Because she wants to go! Because it was her idea! Because it'll be interesting, _educational_, for her to visit New Namek! I don't want her to come because I wanna get her into bed! You think I need to take a trip across space to do that? If Pan wanted to do it, we could do it here…Kami Videl, Pan's a big girl, you've gotta loosen up!"

"Don't you tell me what to do! She's too young, and she's not going with you! And that's final!"

Trunks threw his arms in the air exasperatedly, getting up to grab himself a beer from the refrigerator. "Bloody crazy women," I heard him mutter under his breath as he sifted through the contents of the fridge, "why does it always have to be about _that_?"

I had to bite my lip to refrain from laughing. Here was my boyfriend, the man, complaining about how women always brought up the topic of sex. It seemed just a little ironic.

As for me, well I just wasn't ready yet. Trunks and I had been together for only five months, and even though I loved him with all my heart, I still needed more time. Trunks assured me that it was fine; he was willing to wait for as long as I needed.

I just wished I could convince my mum to trust me.

"No, Pan!" she told me sternly. "Stop asking, because the answer will not change. You are not traveling to New Namek. Besides, you still have school, it's your final year!"

"And I'm doing fine, mum! I can handle two weeks away from school, I'm already ahead of everyone else."

"No."

I sighed, lying down on the couch in the process, my hands moving up to cover my face. Why did mums have to be so difficult?

"Well let's talk about the wishes," Bulma suggested, attempting to diffuse the situation.

"The first one's obvious," I said, "but what about the other two?"

"I was thinking," Trunks said as he sat back down, lifting my legs and placing them across his lap, "you're going to be a lot older than the guys, mum."

Bulma frowned, crossing her arms. "Well _thanks_ Trunks, I didn't think of that," she said sarcastically.

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Well, mother, if you'll let me finish," he began, "the second wish could be used to change your age. Not just your age, but Chi Chi's too, and Ox King, and Gramps and Grandma. We could wish for all of you guys to be, say, twenty years younger. Then you don't have to worry."

Bulma's mouth hung open. "Are you serious?" she asked after a pause, "twenty years younger? I'd look good for Vegeta…but is that really the most appropriate use for the wish?"

"King Kai told me not to wish for anything that would alter too much. We can't wish back everyone killed by the androids; it would make people too confused. I'd like it if you were all younger, Gramps' bones have been hurting him recently," Trunks replied.

"Well, I don't really have any complaints about that wish," Bulma said after a moment, "you'll have to ask everyone else, but I say go ahead, for me and your grandparents at least. What about the last wish?"

"Well, why should I spend two weeks coming back in a spaceship when I can get transported here immediately?" Trunks said.

"Oh, so you'll ask the dragon to send you back to Earth?" I asked Trunks.

"Why not?" he replied, "I don't wanna be cooped up for a whole month."

"Its settled then," Bulma said, an air of finality to her voice, "Trunks will go to New Namek, alone, and will wish them back, wish for us to be younger, and then wish himself back here. You don't want to be younger, do you Videl?"

"No, no I'm fine," my mother replied. "Its not like there's anyone I want to be younger for," she added with a sigh.

Trunks decided that the best way to make the wishes would be simply to have two pieces of paper; one with the names of those to be wished back, and the other with the names of those to be made younger. Then he could just say to the dragon 'wish back all the people on this piece of paper,' and everyone would be included in the wish.

It would still be another week until the spaceship was ready for take off, so I resolved to spend as much time with Trunks as I possibly could, considering that I was going to be deprived of his company for two weeks.

We spent the rest of the weekend hanging out together, watching DVDs in his room, and training.

Trunks had a training room attached to the main building. When he first introduced me to it, four months ago, I couldn't believe it was real. Of course, that changed quickly when he switched it on.

My knees had buckled, the air seemed to have been ripped out of my lungs, and I felt as if I had suddenly gained a whole lot of weight.

"You have," Trunks had told me, "You're in twenty times the Earth's gravity, so you weigh twenty times as much. You'll get far stronger, if we train in here."

Four months later, and I could withstand one hundred times Earths gravity, just. It was tough work, but my strength had increased dramatically since I began training.

"It makes me feel happier about leaving you here," Trunks murmured in my hair, as we lay on his bed on Sunday night.

"What does?" I asked him.

"That you're so strong now. Still not near a Super Saiyan, but for only five months, you've done extremely well. So I won't be so worried, leaving you behind when I go to New Namek. But if something bad happens when I'm gone, don't do anything until I get back, okay?"

"What do you mean, 'if something bad happens'?" I asked, looking into his gorgeous eyes. I still loved looking into them, the bright blue pools that were so easy to get lost in.

"If some kind of alien enemy turns up, just wait it out. Hide underground or something. Stay alive. Do not, under any circumstances, go fighting on your own. Promise me you won't."

"I promise," I told him, kissing his neck, "you know me, I'm way too chicken to do something crazy like that. I'm not brave like you."

He tightened his hold on me, pulling me up until I lay on top of him, and kissed me passionately. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," he whispered in my ear, "I wouldn't be able to live. I need you. I need you so much."

I lay my head on his chest, stroking his face gently, tracing the lines of his lips, nose, and eyes. "Are you still having the dreams?" I asked softly.

"Not so often now," he said, tracing a line down my spine with his hand, "its gotten better since I met you."

Trunks suffered from nightmares. Dreams that would make him wake up screaming, covered in sweat. Every now and then, I would be woken up in the middle of the night, to find Trunks tapping on my bedroom window, clad only in boxer shorts and a singlet.

"What's wrong?" I had asked, the first time it had occurred. The look of horror on his face had woken me right up.

"I had to see you," he had whispered back, all but crushing me in a strong hug, "Kami, Pan, I just had to see you."

I had closed the window, pulling him over to my bed, wrapping both of us in the covers. The way he had buried himself in my neck and hair, had made me realise something was really bothering him.

He told me that night, about his nightmares, the darkness that seemed to overtake him every night. He shook when explaining the dreams that had plagued him that night, dreams in which I had died, at the hands of old enemies.

"It's all right," I had whispered to him, holding him gently, running my hands over his muscular back and arms, "I'm right here. Don't let some nightmares make you think any differently." We had fallen asleep like that, holding each other on my cramped single bed. In the morning, I had woken to find him gone, my window left slightly open.

At first neither of us spoke of it. I didn't want to embarrass or bother him, even though I was happy he had come to me when he needed it. I figured that if he wanted to talk about it, he would.

It had happened again the next week though, and a few nights after that. Eventually, I forced him to talk about it, after training one Saturday.

"I'm sorry," he had said sheepishly, "I know I shouldn't bother you, I just get so freaked out though. Its always better when I see you there myself."

"Don't be sorry," I had replied, "I'm glad I can help you. Come any night you want, if it makes you sleep better."

He did after that, and every few nights I would wake to the faint tapping on the glass. He would come inside, wearing whatever he wore to bed, and climb into bed beside me, wrapping his arms around be and burying his face in my hair. Only then, would his heart rate calm down, and eventually his breathing would ease into the slow rhythm of sleep.

Over time, the frequency of these dreams had slowed, until it was just every now and then that it occurred. I don't know what my mother would say if she found out that my boyfriend was climbing into my bed every once in a while, and I hoped that she would never find out.

"Will you be all right, without me there in the spaceship?" I asked him, as his hands continued their lazy pattern down my back.

"Hmm, oh, I should be okay," he answered. "I wish you could come with me, but I'll be fine. I can handle a few bad dreams." His kissed my neck, his hands slipping under my top to rub the small furry patch where my tail used to be.

"Mmmm," I mumbled with pleasure, as shivers ran up my spine. Saiyan tails were very sensitive, but if you touched them right, it felt _good_.

He rolled on top of me, pushing my arms above my head, locking them down in his firm grip. "I have you now," he whispered seductively, obviously not wanting to talk about the dreams any longer.

It worked, because within seconds I was rendered incapable of forming any coherent thoughts, as his hands roamed my body and his lips crushed my own.

Yes, he was very good at changing the subject.

***

We all stood outside the main Capsule Corp building, on the sunny, but freezing cold, Saturday morning. My mother was present, as was Nana, Bulma, and Dr. and Mrs. Briefs, all gathered to wish Trunks good luck on his journey into space.

The large, white, round spaceship was sitting innocently enough in the middle of the lawn, but I was eyeing it evilly, shooting daggers at it with my eyes. It was going to take my boyfriend away, for two whole weeks. I hadn't gone more than a few days without seeing him since we first started dating.

"Pan," Trunks commented, "you look like you're ready to murder someone."

"Yeah, well you're leaving. I'm going to miss you," I replied with a pout, trying desperately not to cry.

"I'm going to miss you too," he whispered into my ear as he bundled me up in a hug. "But please don't become a serial killer while I'm gone."

I laughed at his stupid joke, tightening my grip around his waist. After five minutes, he slowly began to pry my fingers off him.

"I've gotta go now," he whispered, "the sooner I leave, the sooner I'll be back."

"No!" I whined, "five more minutes," and held onto him even tighter. The tears did break loose at this point, and I sniffled into his shirt. "I'm going to miss you so much," I sobbed.

"I know Panda, I know. But I have to go. I love you, beautiful."

"I love you too," I bawled, kissing him like crazy. I took a step back, then ran inside. I didn't want to watch the ship go, it would be too hard.

I heard the ship door close, and everyone yell their farewells, but the ship never took off.

I peeked out the window, to see the ship door open up again. "I forgot the senzus!" Trunks laughed, and flew up to his bedroom balcony, heading inside that way.

I froze as a plan hit me. I could run fast, faster than any human could see. And Trunks was busy searching for the senzus, which would take a few minutes.

The ship door was open.

_No_, I told myself, _mum would kill me_.

_Yes_, a little voice said, _an opportunity like this won't happen again_.

_No_, my conscience replied. _You have school, and finals in a few months_.

_You'll pass those easily_, the naughty voice countered, _don't you want to see your boyfriend? He's leaving for two whole weeks_.

Two weeks without Trunks seemed like an eternity.

I took a hesitant step, then another, and another, until I was standing in the Capsule Corp. doorway. I looked at the ship, and it seemed to be taunting me.

_Come on_, it said, _you know you want to_.

I ran, as fast as I possibly could without letting my ki increase. Within a second, I was inside the ship. Frantically, I scrambled down into the bedroom chamber, and slid under the single bed, flattening myself against the floor.

The wait seemed like hours, although I know in reality only minutes had passed. Eventually, I heard Trunks' footsteps overhead, and then the ship door closed with a hiss.

A few more minutes passed, and the engines roared into life.

Suddenly, I was pressed flat against the floor, my cheek hard against the tile, by the sheer velocity of the ships movement. My heart beat rapidly, as my breath caught in my throat.

I was leaving Earth behind.


	13. Gohan: Is it too late?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

**A/N:** Thanks to all the people who have been reviewing so far, I really appreciate it. I've been getting quite a few questions about Gohan and Videl, so I decided to make a chapter from Gohan's POV to clarify a few things. It's only short, and will be the only chapter I make from Gohan's POV.

**This chapter is From Gohan's point of view, and is set on King Kai's planet, the day that King Kai gives Trunks the coordinates to New Namek.**

* * *

Is it too late?

I really screwed things up.

Well, that's an understatement really. Not only did I let my own life slip through my hands, I also hurt so many others. Mum, Grandpa, Bulma, Trunks.

Videl.

_Videl_. Her name has haunted me for years. She was my first love. Kami, the first time I saw her I just knew there was something different, something special. The way she held herself, and all her little movements, they mesmerised me. One look from her piercing gaze and I was bewitched.

To my surprise, she had actually sought me out that first night, pulling on my hand and luring me outside.

"What's your name?" she had asked me, "I'm Videl."

I wanted to appear cool, and combined with the fact that I'd already had a bit too much to drink, I probably came off as a bit of an arse. "Gohan," I had replied with an air of indifference, finishing off with my best imitation of Vegeta's smirk.

Somehow, Videl had seen through all of the crap that I put forward, and through my fake persona to my true personality. She never bothered me with too many questions, and I never told her who I really was…_what _I really was.

That was the first mistake.

Thinking back now, I realise I could have trusted her. I was so worried that she would think I was crazy, that I never once thought of the consequences of keeping secrets from her. If she had have known that I was Saiyan…would things have been different?

I don't know. I feel like I don't know anything anymore.

I know I got her pregnant.

What was I thinking? Turning up in the middle of the night, getting drunk, not thinking about consequences…I wish I could go back in time, and slap some sense into the Gohan back then. I should have known that all that partying wasn't going to help me. I should have known that it was wrong to treat a girl like that.

Kami, there's so many things I should have done.

That night with Videl…it was amazing. I had thought it was the best night of my life. I had a girl, she loved me, I loved her, and we were happy.

Then the androids found me.

It was the next day, and I was hung over and tired as hell. I'm lucky to have survived that one, but it put me in hospital for two months, with mum constantly hovering over me. I wanted to escape, I knew that I had to talk to Videl- _'she would be worried,'_ I had thought.

But when I finally got out of hospital, Videl was gone.

The house was empty. Frantically, I had banged on the door, only to find out from a neighbour that the father and daughter had moved out a month ago. No one knew where they went.

Being the fool that I was, I automatically assumed that it was Videl's idea to leave. Why I would even think that, I don't really know. The only excuse that I have is that I was young, and very, very stupid.

I was so depressed by the idea that I had been rejected, that I gave up trying to find her. I had tried to search for her ki, but in the end I just felt so sick, so in pain, that I didn't want to know where she was.

Instead, I tried my hardest to push all memories of her away. I gave up the partying, I gave up the drinking, and the stealing. I threw myself into training and study, and eventually I could live like it never happened.

But every now and then, her name would creep into my head.

Eventually, of course, there were other girls. But I never found myself engaging in any serious relationships. I just couldn't.

I wish I had have found her now.

I got her pregnant. _Pregnant_. I have a child, and I didn't even know.

Videl deserved better than to be knocked up by a deadbeat boyfriend at fourteen.

I don't know all the facts. I'll have to talk to my daughter, I suppose. Perhaps she will tell me why Videl moved away so suddenly.

My daughter.

I groan, burying my face in my hands. I can't describe all the emotions I'm feeling, there's too many and they come and go so fast. Shame, anger, regret, sorrow…even happiness. I did always want to be a dad. Just not like this.

The rest of the guys have been pretty good about it, really. After the initial shock, when King Kai told everyone, I received a few jibes of, "No way Gohan! You got laid at fourteen!" but that had died down pretty quickly. I think they realised then how big of a deal it was to me.

Dad was good, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it, son," he said, "it's too late to change now, so don't let it bother you."

Even Vegeta offered some advice. "Shit happens," he told me, "you just deal with it. Women are always going to give you trouble, no matter what you do."

So now I'm sitting here under the apple tree, watching some of the guys train, and trying to figure out what I'm going to do. Apparently, we have the option of going back to Earth, and everyone seems pretty keen to go. They're all just waiting on my decision.

Do I really want to go back, back to all of my mistakes?

Lost in my thoughts, I don't even notice Piccolo standing beside me until he speaks. "Gohan," he says bluntly, "you have to stop moping around. It's not going to fix anything."

"I know," I reply as my oldest friend sits down, "I just feel so bad."

"So?" he asks, "what is that going to do? Nothing. Feeling sorry for yourself, feeling sorry for the mother, or the child, it won't make any difference. The only way you'll change anything is by going back there. King Kai was contacted by your daughter because she _wants_ to meet you."

"But…" I begin to say, but Piccolo cuts me off.

"Just think about it, all right? Your not the only one dead here, remember. I personally wouldn't mind living again."

I lean back against the tree, closing my eyes and trying to clear my head. She wants to meet me. Pan, my daughter, my own flesh and blood.

I remember something my father told me a long time ago, back when I was a child. _'Being a father isn't always easy. Sometimes you have to do things that you'd rather not, because you have a duty to. But it's always worth it in the end. Being a father is the best job in the world.'_

I get up and head over to King Kai, who has graciously left me to myself for the last few days. "I want to see her," I tell him.

"Your daughter?" he questions, "you want to speak to her?"

"No," I reply. I'm not ready to speak to her yet. "I just want to see her. I want to see what she looks like, that's all."

King Kai nods, motioning for me to put my hand on his back. "She won't hear you, then, even if you speak. You can just watch her, she's in school at the moment."

I close my eyes, and straight away I see her. My breath hitches as she looks up from her book, and I see her eyes for the first time. She has Videl's eyes.

She's _beautiful_. I find myself smiling, watching her poke her tongue out the side of her mouth as she concentrates. "What class is she in?" I ask King Kai.

"Math," he replies, "she's very smart."

I watch her sigh, looking up to the ceiling. She seems slightly agitated, and she taps her hand on the desk. She stops after a while, instead letting her arm fall by her side.

Suddenly, she bites her lip, her eyebrows knotted in some strange emotion. She scoots her chair away from her desk a little, glancing around the classroom as if she has something to hide. I look at the desk, and find myself laughing. She's squeezed the leg too hard, so that the metal is warped into a perfect print of her hand.

I continue to watch as she attempts to fix the desk, squeezing it again and again, trying desperately to smooth out the bumps. All the time she continues to look around the class, carefully watching to make sure no one sees. Poor thing, she probably finds it hard to fit in. I always did.

I realise then how foolish I've been, feeling sorry for myself. I have a duty to this girl; she's my child, and if I have the ability to help her, I should. I could talk to her about being a Saiyan, she must feel lonely, confused even. The same as I felt, and the same as Trunks felt, too. It's not easy being a Saiyan/human hybrid.

Poor Trunks, he's another one I let down. I was trying so hard to be the hero like my dad was, that I didn't contemplate how my death would affect him. He was always such a great kid.

I step back from King Kai, letting my hands fall to my sides. "I've decided," I finally say, as the master stares at me, "I want to go back."

I just hope it isn't too late to make things right.

* * *

**A/N:** Here's a short timeline of the events in Gohan and Videl's lives:

1. Videl meets Gohan- both aged 14.

2. Videl and Gohan sleep together, six months after they meet.

3. Gohan is attacked by the androids, and spends two months in hospital.

4. Videl finds out that she is pregnant. When Hurcule finds out, he vows to kill whoever the father is, and sends Videl away to a convent on the opposite side of the world. Hurcule sells their house, and moves to be near Videl.

5. Gohan goes to Videl's house after he is released from hospital, only to find that she is gone without a trace. He is too sad to try searching for her ki, because he thinks he's rejected. This shock is enough to make him realise that he needs to focus on fighting, because he had a duty to save the world. But he still loves Videl.

6. Pan is born. Videl refuses to name the father, for fear that Hurcule will kill Gohan. She still loves him, and doesn't want him to get hurt by the Martial Arts champion. (Videl is unaware that Gohan is half Saiyan, and far stronger than her father).

7. Videl eventually moves to Orange Star City, and her father moves to a place not far away. As Pan grows up, Videl hears rumours that Gohan has been fighting the androids. She makes a decision not to tell her daughter about Gohan, because she realises that Gohan will probably die, and wants to protect Pan from any pain.

8. Gohan grows up, oblivious to the existence of Pan. He continues to challenge the androids, trains Trunks, and dies at the age of 24.

9. Videl learns of Gohan's death, and mourns secretly for him.

I hope this explains a few things lol… I had to make it this way so that Pan could exist and be not too much younger than Trunks.


	14. Misunderstandings

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z**

**A/N:** We're back to Pan's POV in this chapter.

* * *

Misunderstandings

The ship must have cleared the Earth's atmosphere, because the crazy velocity suddenly stopped. Luckily, all Capsule Corp. spaceships were fitted with gravity machines- kept always at Earth's gravity unless someone was training- so objects didn't start floating weightlessly through the rooms.

I remained under the bed, slightly afraid of how Trunks might react. This had been a spontaneous decision, but now I was thinking through all of the details.

I didn't have any clothes packed. No one was expecting me to sneak aboard, so I doubted there'd be enough food. _Crap!_ I didn't even pack any tampons…and it was highly unlikely that Trunks had any on him.

The ship was dead silent, except for the humming of the engines. I felt pretty nervous, and just a tad guilty. Actually, I felt really guilty. My mum was probably going to have a fit. If I had wanted her to trust me, I had just screwed that up.

After a few minutes, I heard the familiar sound of footsteps, as they crossed the main floor above. There was a small thud, as Trunks jumped down the hatch and into the lower room. I held my breath, although I knew the action was futile; I was sure Trunks could hear my excessively loud heartbeat.

His feet came into view, striding over towards the bed, until they were mere inches from my face.

"Pan," was all he said.

I slowly slid out from under the bed, avoiding eye contact. He had his arms folded across his chest, and a quick glance at his face revealed that he wasn't all that happy.

"You know, your mum is going to kill you when you get back," he stated.

I nodded in agreement. "I just…I just felt like coming along," I said meekly, adding a little laugh that sounded slightly deranged.

He sighed, throwing his arms up in the air. I looked up into his face to see a huge grin stretched across his lips. "I had a feeling you'd try and sneak aboard, Panda," he said with a gleam in his eye, "this trip will be a hell of a lot better with you here."

I laughed, throwing myself into his arms. He wrapped himself around me, picking me up and twirling us around.

"Your not mad I snuck on?" I asked him as he set me down.

"Of course not!" he replied. "I sensed you in here as soon as I got in the ship, but I figured if that's what you want to do, who am I to stand in your way?"

I laughed again, kissing him on the lips. He slid his hands down my back, until both firmly cupped my behind. "I do love this," he said, giving me a small pat there.

"So why," I asked after a few more kisses, "is there only one single size bed here, when you knew I was going to jump aboard?" His eyes flew wide open, and he took a step back, running his hand through his hair.

"Crap!" he mumbled, more to himself, before turning to me. "I swear Pan, I just didn't think of it! Its not some dirty trick or anything!" he said, waving his hands around in innocence.

I laughed even harder than before, so much that I had to lie down, hands clenched around my stomach. "You should see your face!" I told him through chuckles, "its hilarious!" Red had firmly settled on his face now, making his cheeks look rosy. I sat up, smiling up at him. "I don't mind sharing the bed with you," I told him, blushing a little myself, "we do that sometimes anyway."

He nodded, his hands now thrust in his pockets. "I'm not trying to suggest anything, Panda, I swear…"

"I know," I cut him off, not really wanting to head into that conversation, "don't worry about it, okay?"

I had already been shown around the ship by Dr. Briefs, who insisted on me trying out the cappuccino machine and sound system that he installed, so I knew where all the basic thing were. Trunks told me that he had packed twice as many food capsules as needed- enough to accommodate me- and had packed some smaller, unisex Capsule Corp. clothing for me to wear around.

"How did you know I'd do this?" I asked, as we stepped up onto the main floor.

"I know everything about you, Pan," he said, his voice imitating that of a stalker. I laughed again, pulling him by the hand over to the window.

"Look at that," I said breathlessly, "it's beautiful!" The stars looked amazing from here, shining brightly, some appearing to fly past us. Trunks nodded, wrapping his arms around me. We stood like that for hours, watching the universe pass by.

***

The strangest thing about space is the loss of the sense of time. On Earth, I never realised how much I relied on nature to tell me what time of day it was, by the sun or stars ahead, and the movements of the animals. In space, there was none of that, and it was almost disorientating.

The ship of course had a clock, it told you the date and time of day as it was in West City. By this clock, Trunks and I organized our time.

We decided that 11pm would be a suitable time to go to bed. It was a compromise between the both of us; I usually was in bed by ten, Trunks by twelve. Since we'd be sharing the same small bed, we figured it would be best to hit the sack at the same time.

Thanks to my spur of the moment decision, I didn't have any pyjamas available, either. While Trunks could easily just sleep in his underwear, I didn't want to have to wear my one t-shirt for days on end, nor did I want to use up one of the few clothes Trunks had packed in case I stowed aboard. I settled for wearing one of Trunks' white singlets, which was long enough on me to count a nightgown, hanging down to mid-thigh.

Of course it was quite loose, and coupled with the fact that I didn't sleep with a bra on, it looked quite revealing, the neckline hanging dangerously low, just covering my newly acquired curves. As I walked from the bathroom after changing, I saw Trunks' eyes widen for a split second, before he quickly turned his back and resumed his task of removing his own clothing.

I slid into the bed, moving over as far as I can, and watched Trunks undress slowly. The blush on my cheeks showed that I was embarrassed enough, but I didn't look away. It would have been a waste to not appreciate such a fine view.

As he lifted his shirt over his head, the muscles on his back rippled under the tan skin, stretched across wide shoulders and a thin waist. I smiled to myself, thinking about all the women on Earth who I knew were very jealous of my current position.

"What are you grinning at? You look like a Cheshire cat." His comment broke me out of my daydreaming, and the heat rushed to my fact, twice as hot as before.

"Just you," I replied softly, "you're very handsome, y'know."

He smirked at me, walking over to the light switch, turning the ship pitch black at once. I heard his feet walk softly over the tiles back to the bed, then the covers were pulled back, and the large warm body slid in beside me.

"Let me put my arms around you," he murmured, and I complied, turning so that my back was flat against his chest. There was something else pressed against my buttocks, and I giggled, despite my attempts to hold it in.

"What's so funny?" he asked, nibbling at my ear.

"Oh," I sighed, "I was just remembering when I thought it was a cell phone, that's all."

He chuckled softly, his breath warm upon my skin. "It's a damn lot bigger than a cell phone, Pan," he replied, and I could tell he was smirking. "Goodnight, little one," he murmured.

"Night. I love you," I replied.

"Love you too," was the last thing I heard, before sleep finally took over.

***

The rest of the trip passed by uneventfully. Every day Trunks and I would train in 100 times Earths gravity, beginning at 9am Earth time and finishing by five, with only an hour lunch break in between. I'd never trained so hard before, and my muscles ached like hell each night, but it was worth it. In only two weeks, my ki had grown substantially.

"You're gonna shock the guys when they see you fight, Panda," Trunks commented on our last night before landing, "they won't be expecting so much power to come from a tiny thing like you."

"Tiny!" I replied in mock anger, "five feet is a decent height for a lady! I like my size!"

Trunks' lips twitched, curling up slightly, and he turned his head away so I couldn't see his face. The effort was in vain- I could still see his shoulders shaking, and hear the soft sound of a muffled laugh. I hit him in the back, hard enough for him to lose his balance, before running down into the sleeping quarters.

"You're in trouble now!" he yelled, racing after me. Within a second I was thrown on the bed, his heavy weight pressed on top of me. "I'm going to teach you a lesson now, Panda," he murmured in my ear, his lips spread into a wide grin, "you should know not to be so naughty." I giggled, taking the opportunity to kiss him on the lips.

"Go ahead, teach me," I replied, matching his smile.

***

"Look!" I yelled the next day, despite the fact that Trunks was standing right next to me. "It's New Namek! We made it! Look!"

"I see it," he replied softly. I looked up at his face to see him in somewhat of a daze, gazing at the sight with awe. I felt the same. I had missed the view of Earth from space on our departure, so this was my very first look at a planet from space. It was too beautiful to describe.

The planet was fully green. At first, I thought I was looking at a planet that had only land. On further inspection, I could see the faint change in colour that showed that there were in fact wide oceans as well as continents, just like that on Earth. The only difference seemed to be the colour of the water.

"How big is it?" I asked Trunks. It was a bit of a stupid question, considering that I was staring right at it. Obviously, it was huge. Nevertheless, Trunks grasped what I actually meant.

"Its about the same size as Earth, I think," he replied, "maybe a little smaller. We should belt up, it'll get bumpy in a minute."

As if the spaceship read his thoughts, the computer informed us that we indeed needed to strap ourselves in for a landing on New Namek. The seats were comfy, and the belts crossed over my torso in various directions. The only bad part about the seats was that we couldn't see the planet out the windows. It made me nervous, not being able to see everything.

As we entered the atmosphere, the ship began to shake. I wondered briefly what it would sound like to a human, because to me- with my Saiyan hearing- the ordeal was awfully loud. Sensing my apprehension, Trunks gripped my hand tightly, giving me the same reassuring smile he always did. It wasn't much, but his actions made me feel much better.

We landed with a huge thud, suddenly answering my thought as to why the seats were so padded. If I hadn't been so naturally strong, I was sure I'd be suffering severely from whiplash right about now. After a moment of silence, Trunks unbuckled himself, standing up and peering out the window. When he continued to stare out into the same spot, I realised he was sensing for ki.

I looked out the windows too, and began searching for ki. There weren't that many near us- around thirty- but each one was far larger than a human's. Although none of the ki proved any competition to Trunks' or my own, it still made me nervous to know we were on a foreign planet. I hadn't thought about it before, but I now felt like a trespasser. How would these creatures feel, with us turning up and demanding to use their precious dragonballs?

"I'm going to go to the first group of ki over there," Trunks announced, breaking me out of my reverie, "you stay here, and guard the ship. If its safe, I'll come back to get you, and we'll take the ship over with us."

"Can't we just capsulise the ship?" I asked, "Why do I have to stay here? We'll just put it in the capsule, and I'll come with y…"

"No," Trunks replied sternly, cutting me off. "No. Not until I know its safe. Watch for my ki, if something happens, take the ship and leave. There's still enough fuel for the trip back. You have to stay here, until I know its safe."

"But…" I began, furrowing my brows. I was sure there were a million different reasons why I should accompany Trunks, but put on the spot, I couldn't think of any.

"No," he replied, "you stay here. I'm sure both your parents would kill me if I let anything happen to you," he added, already walking out the door.

"But they're not here! My father's still dead right now! No one's going to kill you! I'm coming with you!"

"NO!" he yelled, turning back to me. "Don't you remember what happened in the pendulum room? I'm not taking any risks Pan! You stay here, until I know its safe!" Before I had a chance to reply, he was in the air, traveling too fast for me to catch him.

As I watched his retreating form, I didn't know what to think. I knew he meant well, but I still hated it when he raised his voice at me. I felt as if he were treating me like an incompetent child, and that upset me. Usually I didn't think about our age gap, but in moments like this I wished I were a little older. It probably wouldn't change anything, though.

Feeling bitter, angry and hurt- with tears streaming down my face- I resigned myself to sitting outside the ship on the grass, stretching my legs out in the sunshine I hadn't seen for two weeks. For the first time, I noticed that this planet had more than one sun. The first sun I could see was coming into the middle of the sky- or was it leaving the middle of the sky? Did the sun still rise in the East here? I was used to knowing everything, and I didn't like being stuck in the middle of nowhere, in completely unfamiliar surroundings.

Eventually I decided that I had wallowed in misery long enough, and instead chose to read one of the novels Trunks had packed outside. I got through two hundred pages, before I realised that I was supposed to have been watching Trunks' ki the whole time.

Panicked, I stood up, searching mentally in the direction he had headed. I had no idea how much time had passed, and I cursed myself for being so foolish. What if something had happened to him, and I missed it because I was too worried about myself?

I couldn't feel him at all in that direction, and my heart began to race. I took to the air, turning about and trying to find him. All the other ki on this planet had a feel different to humans, and I could tell that they were all of the same race. So where was my boyfriend?

Finally, I found what I was searching for. He was in the opposite direction to where he had last been, and quite far off. His ki felt a little funny, too, but I didn't want to waste time pondering why. Instead, I blasted off, traveling as fast as I could in his direction. I had waited long enough.

The view from space had given me a pretty accurate idea of what this planet was like. Everything was green- the grass, the trees, the water, the sky. And from the photos I had seen back on Earth, I knew that the people were green too.

I was surprised that Trunks hadn't moved at all since I had started towards him. Even more surprising, was that there was only one other ki with him. I assumed from this that he had simply started the dragonball hunt without me, and grew any angrier. How dare he leave me out!

Finally, he came into view, just a black dot near the horizon. Angry as I was, I decided to teach him a little lesson. Slowing down, I powered a kamehame ha, and sent it straight for him.

I expected him to just deflect it to the side, since I hadn't made it that strong. Instead, he sent it right back at me, and I was forced to push it away. Distracted by this, I hadn't noticed how close he had flown to me, and didn't have time to dodge the next blast, which was far more powerful.

It burnt, and I fell to the ground hard, my arms and legs stinging. I couldn't believe he would attack me so hard! I had just been mucking around, surely he would have known that?

_He would have known that._

As the dust cleared, two boots came into view, standing only a few feet from where I lay. Unlike the yellow boots Trunks had been wearing, these were white, with brown tips. Through the dust I slowly made out a swaying movement, and realised with a sudden lurch of the stomach that I was watching a brown, furry tail, twitching irritably.

I looked up into the eyes of the man I had attacked.

The very angry Saiyan stared back at me.

* * *

**A/N:** Cliffhanger! Who is this mysterious Saiyan, and what will happen to Pan now? All will be revealed in the next chapter…

Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter ^^

I took a little longer than usual to get this chapter written, there were a few directions in which I could have gone, so I had to take the time to decide. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! :)


	15. It's a small world

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

It's a small world

A number of thoughts flashed through my head all at once, and I couldn't make sense of it all. Who was he? How could it be possible? Why would a Saiyan be here?

Why did he look like _that_?

He was short, I could tell, although he seemed to loom over me as I lay sprawled on the ground, suffering from burns and scrapes. He wore Saiyan-style armour in white and brown, over blue spandex. The most unnerving thing about his appearance, though, was his face.

He had the same handsome facial features as Trunks, with the sharp eyes, straight nose and high cheekbones. His hair rose on spikes above his head, with one small tuft of hair falling over the middle of his forehead. Over his left eye there was some sort of glass contraption. I could see through the green glass that a foreign language was displayed on the screen, giving off some sort of information.

I scrabbled backwards in the dirt, my eyes widening in fear, and my breath coming fast. I looked to his hand to see a small ki blast forming in apparent warning.

My heart beat frantically, the sound pounding in my ears. Normally in situations like this, my instincts told me to do something. Run, or attack, or make use of my surroundings. Now, however, I was simply stunned in fear. I had no idea what to do.

"Gha…uh…I…umm…I come in peace!" I finally stuttered, flinging one hand up in the infamous Star Trek sign. It was probably the most foolish thing anyone could ever do, but it was all I could think of for the moment.

His eyebrows twitched in annoyance. I may not have known who he was, but I knew that look. He wasn't happy.

"You attack my wife and I, when we are merely sitting down to lunch, and then you have the nerve to tell me you come in peace?" he asked, his tail lashing behind him.

"I…I thought you were someone else!" I replied quickly in defence. "I'm really sorry, really… I am! I thought you were my boyfriend!"

He lowered his hand after this, and although his eyes remained guarded, I got the impression that he had decided I wasn't much of a threat. His mouth even twitched slightly, as if he wanted to smile.

"You greet your lover by throwing blasts at him?" he finally questioned, his head cocked to the side as if I were some amusing animal in a zoo.

"Well…I'm annoyed with him, you see," I began, relieved to find that he didn't seem that aggressive. Of course, he could just be thinking of ways to torture and kill me. I had no idea how strong he was, but I was sure he'd be more powerful than me. "He flew off without me," I continued, "and told me I had to stay put. It annoyed me, and then I thought…" I trailed off, realizing it was better not to say anything about the dragonballs.

"You thought what?" the man prompted.

"I thought that was unfair," I replied. "I wanted to go with him, and then I sensed your ki, and your ki feels just like Trunks', and I thought you were him, and I wanted to teach him a lesson…please don't kill me!"

The man stared at me silently after that, crossing his arms across his chest. After a few minutes, he spoke again. "This ki you speak of, do you mean power levels? I see you're not wearing a scouter."

"Power levels…you mean fighting strength? Yeah, that's ki, if that's what you mean. I can sense it, in my head," I tapped my temple lightly, then continued. "It's a technique that fighters use, where I come from. I can tell how many people are around. I mistook your ki for my boyfriend's."

"Because he is as strong as me?" he questioned.

"No, it wasn't that…every ki has a…I don't know…a flavour? Yours is like his…that doesn't happen unless you're related, usually."

He took a step back, his eyebrows rising in surprise for a second, before settling back into a frown. His eyes narrowed, and I realised he was looking me over, obviously contemplating something.

"Do you know what I am?" he asked suddenly. When I didn't reply, he rolled his eyes, sighing. "Do you recognise what race I am?" he clarified.

"Oh! You're a Saiyan, aren't you?" I replied.

The man stared at me again, looking first into my eyes, then at my hair, and moving down to my body. Finally, he sniffed the air, his lips pressed tight in thought. "What are _you_?" he asked eventually. "You smell like a Saiyan, but you lack certain characteristics."

"I'm part Saiyan," I replied. By this point I was certain that this man, although powerful, had no intention to kill me. "My father was half Saiyan. My grandfather was a low class warrior, he was sent off Planet Vegeta as a baby just before it was destroyed."

"Ah," he said, nodding. "That makes sense. But you said that my…ki…felt similar to your boyfriend's. Is he Saiyan?"

"Half," I replied. "Actually, he's the son of Prince Vegeta." It occurred to me then, that if this man were related to Trunks, perhaps he wouldn't be hostile. In answer to my thoughts, the man before me gasped in shock, his eyes widening.

"Vegeta's alive?" he asked in a half whisper, and I was unsure whether he was talking to himself or me.

"Did you know him?" I asked. He had be a relation of some kind, judging from all the obvious evidence.

"Prince Vegeta is my older brother," he replied. "My name is Tarble. I was in a foreign court when our home planet was destroyed. I've searched for my brother before, but I could not find him. I was under the impression that he was dead."

I frowned at this, looking down at my hands. I didn't want to have to tell someone that their brother was dead, but unfortunately it seemed like I had no choice. "Prince Vegeta passed away over twenty years ago, when his son was only a baby," I said softly, "I'm sorry."

"Oh," he sighed, looking to his feet, and silence resumed.

"Tarble?" I heard a small voice call, and I looked to my left to see a small gray alien come walking over the nearest hill.

"It's all right, Gure!" he called, "it was just a misunderstanding, no need to be worried, dear!"

_Dear?_ I remembered now that I had sensed a second ki, far weaker than Tarble's, and that he had mentioned his wife. Surely he couldn't be married to this thing, though?

She came closer; her little legs moving briskly towards us. At least I assumed it was a she, from the purple dress it was wearing. Whatever it was, it didn't appear to have any curves at all, nor any hair for that matter.

She came to stand next to Tarble, clutching onto his leg. Her small, bald head didn't even reach his waist, and her thin arms appeared to be pink, decorated with evenly spaced black lines. Her small black eyes stared at me warily, her little mouth pressed into a pout underneath her small nostrils. "Who is this, Tarble?" she asked, her high pitched voice laced with worry.

"This girl is part Saiyan," he replied, placing his hand on the small alien's head, "she knows my brother's son."

"His son!" she exclaimed, "Vegeta had a son?"

"It seems so. This girl mistook me for him, it seems they're having a lover's spat."

"Oh…" the little alien said, looking back at me. "Saiyan men can be a little stubborn sometimes, can't they dear?"

"Ahh… haha," I laughed softly, heat rushing to my face.

"I didn't get your name," Tarble spoke, smiling charmingly. He had quite a baby face, but I realised he would have to be somewhere in his early fifties. Trunks had told me before that Saiyans lived longer than humans, and aged much slower, and this appeared to be true. Tarble could have passed for someone in his twenties.

"Pan," I replied, "it's, uh, nice to meet you both, I'm sorry about before."

"Don't worry about it," Tarble replied, smirking, "it's pretty typical behavior for a Saiyan female, actually. Here, this is my wife, Gure."

"Gure," I smiled at the little alien, hoping that my surprise wasn't showing on my face, "that's a lovely name." I didn't really understand how a Saiyan could be attracted to her, but they seemed like a happy couple, so who was I to judge?

I was about to ask what they were doing here, when the contraption on Tarble's face beeped loudly. He swung around, his muscles tensing suddenly.

"What is it?" I asked, getting up from the ground to stand next to him.

"A power level…it's huge! It's heading strait for us, and it keeps increasing!" At this, the device suddenly exploded, making all three of us flinch. I looked out to the distance, sensing for ki.

"Oh! It's Trunks!" I said with relief, before I remembered why I was here in the first place. "Great," I mumbled, more to myself than anyone else, "he's probably going to be really mad at me now."

Tarble turned to me, his face slack with shock. "That power level registered in the millions before the scouter blew up. Are you saying that my nephew is that powerful?"

"Well, I don't know about the numbers," I confessed, "but Trunks is a Super Saiyan. You know what that is, right?"

Tarble's mouth hung open, his eyes growing even wider. "A Super Saiyan?" he asked in a whisper, as if it were a great secret, "you mean like the Saiyans of legend?" At my nod in confirmation, he ran a hand through his hair, the same gesture I had seen Trunks make many times before. "A Super Saiyan," he said to himself, "who would have thought?"

I smiled to myself. We had come here to get our family back, and I had managed to find a whole new branch of Trunks' family. Perhaps they could even return to Earth with us? I glanced sideways at Tarble, noticing for the first time just how short he actually was. He was even smaller than me, by quite a few inches. It was surprising, considering that the Saiyan King had been quite a tall man.

"My father had a thing for short women," Tarble commented, making me blush furiously. I hadn't realised it was that obvious to tell what I was thinking. Tarble merely smirked, looking back to the sky. "Don't worry about it."

Within minutes, Trunks appeared, rising from the horizon like a blazing sun. He was in his transformed state now; I could see the golden hair flying about his face. It was only another thirty seconds and he materialized in front of me, throwing me over his shoulder before jumping back, to leave a distance of twenty feet between us and my acquaintances.

"Ugh…Trunks," I said, squirming in his strong grip, "put me down! They're nice people, Trunks!" It had become obvious to me that he wasn't happy at all, his ki flared erratically, and his teal eyes glared at me as he set me back on the ground.

"I told you to stay by the ship," he said calmly, but I could tell that he was angrier that I had ever seen him before. "If these are such nice people," he continued, gesturing to Tarble and Gure, "why are you all beat up, hmm?"

I bowed my head in shame, shuffling my feet. "I can explain," I mumbled, "please don't be mad at me."

"Explain, then," was all he said, crossing his arms and casting an angry glance across to his uncle.

I drew in a big breath, twirling my hair around my fingers. With a shaky voice, I began to tell Trunks about the events of the day, beginning with how upset I was that he left me alone by the ship.

"You treat me like a baby sometimes," I whispered, glaring at the ground by my feet. A few drops of liquid hit the dirt, and I realised with surprise that I was crying. Quickly, I brushed the tears away, continuing with my story. I had already been treated unfairly today; I didn't want to embarrass myself further in front of Trunks.

I knew Tarble could hear everything from the short distance, although I wasn't so sure about Gure. In fact, she didn't appear to have any ears at all. I looked over at the couple as I explained about them, avoiding looking at Trunks directly. I hadn't realised before, but I was exhausted and hungry. I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, and to be comforted by the one I loved. The only problem was, it was the one I loved who had upset me in the first place.

I finished explaining, and everything fell silent. The wind blew my hair back, the cool breeze soothing under the heat of multiple suns. As the silence wore on, I stole a glance up at Trunks, meeting his eyes.

He wasn't in his Super Saiyan form anymore, and he looked down at me with conflicting emotions. "Panda," he said softly, and I turned away, my eyes welling up with tears again. He stepped forward, closing the gap between us and wrapping his arms around me. I buried my face in his shoulder, unable to hold back the tears any longer.

"You should have let me come with you," I sobbed, my voice muffled by his skin. "I worry about you, too. When I couldn't sense your ki, I was really worried…it's not fair if I always get left behind."

"Shh, shh, sweetheart, I know. I'm sorry, Panda bear, I'm sorry," he murmured into my hair. "I should have let you come, I know. You know I only left you there because I love you, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. I need you, Pan."

Eventually I stopped sobbing, but I continued to hold Trunks tight, not wanting to think about anything but the comfort of his warmth. He rubbed my back gently, rocking slowly to and fro.

I heard Tarble and Gure come closer towards us, and turned around to see Gure smiling gently up at me. "Come on dear," she said to me, holding out a gloved hand, "lets give these two men some time to talk things over." I took her hand, following her as she took to the air. "Our house is just over the hill," she added, pointing ahead, "You must be starving."

"Your house?" I questioned as we flew over to the white dome, decorated with numerous purple windows, "You live on this planet?"

"Yes," she replied, "we've known the Namekians for many years, and when our home planet was destroyed, we decided to settle here. It's a very peaceful place."

"Your home planet was destroyed too?" I asked. How many planets had been blown up by villains over the years? All those people killed, their lives snuffed out without a second thought.

"Yes," she sighed sadly as we stepped through the threshold into her home, "two very bad creatures, stronger than Frieza. Their names are Abo and Cado. Tarble tried to defeat them, but he wasn't strong enough. He doesn't enjoy fighting, as much as other Saiyans do, that's why his father sent him away as a young boy."

"Wait, the King just sent him away? Like he didn't want him?"

By now I was sitting at a table, and Gure was quickly flitting back and forth, bringing things out of what looked like a refrigerator and putting them in front of me. "Eat up," she said, "and I'll explain."

Gure told me what she knew of the Saiyan royal family. The King had been a very powerful man, stronger than any other Saiyan. Consequently, he made all the rules as he went, doing what he pleased without any interference. He had married Prince Vegeta's mother, the Queen of Saiyans, but he also had many mistresses. Tarble was the product of one of those extramarital affairs- a bastard son whose parentage was clear just by looking at his face.

"By then, Prince Vegeta- the only legitimate heir- had already begun to show great fighting potential," Gure continued, "but by the time Tarble was three, it was obvious that he was very different from his older brother. Vegeta loved to fight; he lived for battle, even as a small child. Tarble didn't like the violence, which was considered very odd for a Saiyan."

Embarrassed by the fact that one of his sons wasn't a great fighter, the Saiyan King had organized for Tarble to be sent to a distant planet, far out of the reaches of Frieza's grasp. It was Gure's home world, and both Gure and Tarble grew up together in the royal court of her people.

"It may have seemed cruel, to send your child away like that, but I think the King did Tarble a big favour. Saiyan society was based on fighting and strength, and as the King's son- regardless of whether he was a bastard or not- Tarble would have been expected to fight," Gure explained. "It wasn't just that," she added, "the King knew what Frieza was like. Not long after Tarble had been sent away, Frieza took Prince Vegeta to serve in his army. If Tarble had been there, Frieza probably would have taken him, too. Tarble would have died, for sure."

"You really think so?" I asked, "was Frieza's army that bad?"

"Oh yes!" she said, her eyes widening in emphasis. "Frieza was horrible, from what we have heard. Tarble is very proud of his brother, for surviving so long in such terrible conditions, and for rebelling against Frieza when the time came. He always says that Vegeta made a fine prince, even if he did a few bad things."

I nodded my head, my mouth stuffed full of some delicious meat. _A few bad things_. I knew for a fact that Prince Vegeta had killed millions, probably billions. Still, he was Trunks' father, and it was clear that Tarble cared deeply for his elder brother.

I finished off the food in front of my, sighing and patting my stomach. "That was delicious!" I told Gure, smiling at her as she moved swiftly back and forth.

"I'm sure you'd like to wash up now," she said to me, gesturing to a door at the far end of the room, "that's the guest bedroom there, you can wash and sleep if you like, it has it's own bathroom. There's some first aid gear too, you can clean out your scratches."

"Oh, thank you," I said, bowing slightly to her. She nodded and smiled, and I walked into guest room, closing the door softly behind me. I sighed, slumping my shoulders. I was so tired, I could have easily fallen asleep on the floor, but I was filthy, and desperately in need of a wash.

The bathroom was simple, but fully furnished in everything necessary. The soap smelled delicious, and I sighed with pleasure as I massaged the shampoo into my scalp. My arms and legs stung a little in the water, but I was used to the pain now- I was often at the wrong end of ki blasts during training with Trunks.

It was only when I stepped out of the shower that I realised I had no clothes to change back into. After sweating in the hot suns, I was reluctant to put my own clothing back on. Eyeing the bed with exhaustion, I decided I didn't care, and slid between the crisp linen sheets fully naked. Sleep came quickly, and the events of the day slid into dreams.

***

I woke feeling well rested, knowing automatically that I had been asleep for a long time. I tensed suddenly, realizing that there was someone else lying beside me, their heart beating regularly.

"It's just me," Trunks whispered, and I sighed with relief. I rolled over, at once remembering I was nude as the sheets moved over my chest. Wide eyed, I clutched the sheet close in reflex.

Trunks rolled onto his side- clad in only a pair of boxer shorts- facing me. I noticed he was on top of the bed, not in it, and relaxed, my heart beat slowing down, and the heat fading from my face. He frowned, his eyes searching my own.

"You thought I'd do something like that? Look at you in your sleep, without your permission?"

"No!" I replied, blushing again and averting my eyes. "It was just reflex, I'm not used to sleeping naked."

He closed his eyes, breathing slowly. They opened again to fix on me, his hand moving across to clutch one of my own. Gently, he brought it to his lips, kissing my fingers softly.

"You really scared me yesterday," he spoke softly, his whisper so quiet that had I been human, I would not have heard it, "when I realised you weren't at the ship…" he swallowed loudly, his adams apple bobbing with the movement, "I'd never been more afraid, Pan…I only left you at the ship because I want to keep you safe. I've never been off the planet before, but I've heard enough from my parents to know of some of the horrors of the universe. Earth is a haven, Pan, compared to the rest of the universe."

I opened my mouth to explain to him that he had scared me, and that I had left the ship in search of him, but he continued to talk, squeezing my hand to make sure I was listening.

"I never told you how I found out your father was dead, did I?" He paused for a brief moment, but his intense gaze never left my eyes. "I found him," he whispered, "I found his broken body lying dead and cold in the rain, and the memories of that day have haunted me since. You are so much like him, Pan. Brave, headstrong, always wanting to do what you think is right, never considering that you might fail."

I didn't know what to say to this speech. Part of me wanted to rebut, to defend myself against his accusations. I was always considering failure, couldn't he see it? He was the strong one, the one who always seemed so self-assured when it came to his strength.

But the other part of me wanted to close the gap between us, to cradle him in my arms and comfort him, and to help him fight the demons of memory that haunted him daily. I wanted him to know he wasn't alone. He would never be alone, with me there.

"But what if you leave?" he asked, and my eyes widened. He smirked, but it came out more as a grimace, the half-smile never reaching his eyes. "I can tell what you're thinking, Pan, I know you. I love you. Can't you see that? I asked you to stay put because I love you, more than I have ever loved anything else in my entire life. And what scares me the most, is that you could be snatched away from me at any moment."

He growled, a low, deep sound from somewhere in his chest. He shifted on the bed, moving until he lay close to me, the warmth of his body transferring to me through the sheets.

"I know I'm selfish," he said, his lips brushing softly over my cheek, "but I can't help it. I want you to be mine. I want to know that you will be beside me, every day of my life." He let out a breath slowly, the warm air tickling my air. "I don't think I could live without you, Pan," he whispered, his voice breaking on my name.

I wrapped my arms around him, stroking down his back, clutching him closer to me. "_I_ can't live without _you_," I whispered finally, my grip on him tightening. "I'm sorry I scared you. I'll listen to you next time."

He moved his head, pressing his forehead to mine. "You better, Panda," he said gently, "I know more about battle than you. You're very lucky Tarble doesn't share the same characteristics as his older brother… any other Saiyan, and…"

"I know," I cut in, "I know I screwed up."

Trunks pressed his lips to mine, softly, then more forceful. I reciprocated, closing my eyes and enjoying the warmth of his mouth.

Then someone knocked on the door.

Trunks chuckled, pushing me back and running a hand through his hair. He smiled at me, kissing my shoulder. "I'll forgive you, if you forgive me, hmm?"

"Of course," I replied, smiling back.

"All right then. Lets go find us some dragons balls," he said, wagging his eyebrows at me with a wide grin stretched across his mouth.

I laughed, relief evident in my voice. I didn't like having any tension between us, and was glad we seemed to have resolved our issues without too much trouble.

I didn't think I could face the unknown future, without Trunks by my side.

* * *

**A/N:** If any of you didn't know, Tarble was recently introduced to the Dragonball universe in the special _Yo! The Return of Son Goku and Friends_. You can search for the special on youtube, it's in Japanese with English subtitles, with all the main characters included. Tarble's wife, Gure, was also in the special… so neither of them are OC's.

There isn't any information on Vegeta or Tarble's mother(s)…Tarble being a bastard is just my interpretation… But I've tried to stick as close to what the series says as I can, Tarble really was sent away by the King as a child.

Anyways, thanks again to those who reviewed. I hope you all liked this chapter!


	16. Meet the locals

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Meet the locals

Gure- as small as she was- did extremely well, cooking up a delicious breakfast for three famished Saiyans. While I had slept, Trunks and Tarble had flown back to our ship, capsulising it and bringing it back to Tarble's home. Consequently, when I had woken with Trunks by my side, there were already fresh clothes laid out for me at the end of the bed, thanks to my thoughtful boyfriend.

So now I sat at the table, wearing the best of the unisex Capsule Corp. clothing, which I had purposefully reserved for the day we met the Namekians. The t-shirt was baggy, and the sweatpants were too long- requiring me to roll them up at the bottom, much to my embarrassment- but I still felt fresh and clean, and for now that was enough.

Tarble smiled at me from across the table, evidently happy with our plans for the day. "My dear Niece, you must be excited to know you will meet your father by the end of the day?" he asked, wiping his mouth on a napkin. Tarble had taken to referring to me as his niece, due to the fact that Trunks was clearly my 'mate', as he put it.

"Yes," I replied, my hands shaking, thankfully obscured from view by the tabletop. Whether it was from nervousness or excitement, I couldn't tell, all I knew was that I was probably going to have butterflies in my stomach for the rest of the day.

"We've lived here for quite a few years now, but we've never seen the dragon yet," Gure chimed in, smiling, "I'm so excited to have a chance to see it!"

The reason why I hadn't been able to sense Trunks the day before was because I had only searched as far as the nearest group of ki, which happened to be the members of the closest Namekian village to here. Trunks told me that they did have a dragonball there, but were unwilling to hand it over until Trunks had spoken to the Namek leader, Muri. He lived at the next village, and rather than back-tracking to get me, Trunks had decided to head on to Muri's village in order to gain permission to use the dragonballs.

Trunks had been greeted by the Namekians, and Muri was happy to give permission for us to use the dragonballs. However, before he could take the first ball off Muri, he had realised I was no longer at the ship, and had left the Namek village immediately. It was to Muri's village that we would first travel today, before heading over to each of the six other villages to collect the dragonballs. We would then return to the head village in order to summon the dragon.

Trunks' hand found mine under the table, giving me a reassuring squeeze. I felt tense, and itched to get into the air, eager to begin the day's tasks. Trunks clearly felt the same way, as he stood up abruptly, stretching his arms as if he were in preparation for a battle.

"We better get going," he said to his uncle as he rolled his neck around in exercise, "so Pan and I will meet you two at Muri's village later today, after we've located the dragonballs."

"Mmm hmm," Tarble replied through a stifled yawn, "yes, we'll meet you there later. We'll have made our decision by then."

***

"What decision?" I asked Trunks as we flew across the endless green plains of Namek.

"Oh, well did you notice how Tarble and Gure looked really tired at breakfast?" When I nodded, Trunks continued. "They were up most of the night- or day- I can't believe this planet has three suns!" he exclaimed, going off on a tangent. "Can you believe there's no night here? That would drive me crazy, it's already getting me out of whack."

I laughed, agreeing fully. Trunks hadn't brought a watch with him, and we hadn't taken a look at the date and time in the ship either. I had a feeling that when we got back to Earth, we would be suffering from serious jet lag.

"Okay, so what about them being tired?" I prompted Trunks.

"Well they were up late discussing whether or not to come to Earth with us," Trunks explained. "I think Tarble really wants to see my father again…I can't believe they're brothers, they're both so different! Anyway, they still haven't decided. They like the peace here, and the Namekians are good friends of theirs, but on the other hand, I think they'd like to meet everyone, and see Earth when it's peaceful."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, "Have they seen Earth before?"

"Yeah," Trunks replied, "They went to Earth in search of my father years ago, I would have been ten, I think. They didn't find him, of course, and left quickly 'cause of the androids, but Tarble said he'd liked the food," he added with a chuckle.

I stretched out my hand to Trunks and he took it, our fingers interlacing as we soared high above the ground. Thinking about Tarble and Gure, I smiled, a toothy grin stretching across my face. "I think I'd like it if they came home with us," I said to Trunks, stroking his hand with my thumb, "it's nice to have family around."

"Yeah," he replied, "I'd like that too."

***

We landed in what appeared to be the centre of the village, a flat bit of grassy land, surrounded on three sides by small buildings, similar in style to those of Tarble's house. I noted that the Namekians seemed to prefer architecture that included many spikes protruding from the outside walls, so that the buildings reminded me of fat, white porcupines. I wondered briefly if there was some symbolic reason to this, and hoped that perhaps I would get a chance to ask one of the Namekians later.

There were fields behind us, with a few men tending to the vegetation grown there. Trunks had told me Namekians didn't eat, instead relying only on water, so I wondered why they would bother cultivating so many of the same plants. Perhaps they were for medicinal purposes?

At our arrival all the Namekians outside stopped what they were doing. The children were pushed back behind the older occupants- evidently the Namekians were taking no risks with the lives of their young ones. Perhaps that was another reason the Namekians had been happy to befriend Tarble, despite the fact that he was the brother of a man who had murdered many of them- they may have thought it was a good idea to have a resident Saiyan on hand to fight off any threats.

Then again, I thought it was best not to underestimate the Namekians themselves, many of them certainly looked strong, their muscled emphasised by the strange pink colouring on their arms and torso. These ones wore fighting uniform that was similar to what Piccolo wore, from what I could gather in the photos I had seen of him.

Other Namekians wore robes that reached down to their feet, the colours ranging everywhere from white to purple. These ones looked weaker, they were smaller in size, and seemed to stay towards the back of the crowd. Was it a matter of social class that separated the two groups?

An old looking Namekian stepped forward, his bald head lined with wrinkles, and I realised at once that this must be Muri. My guess was confirmed when he began to speak, addressing Trunks.

"Ahh, so you're back," he started, "I hadn't realised it was customary for Earthlings to fly off in the middle of a conversation until yesterday." I blushed upon hearing this comment, the old Namek was obviously hinting that he thought Trunks rude, and I knew the only reason for Trunks' sudden departure from the village was my own disobedience.

"I'm very sorry for my behavior yesterday," Trunks replied to the old man, bowing formally, "you must forgive me, I was startled when I realised my mate was not where she was meant to be, and I feared for her life." He gestured to me at this point, making me blush even more as thirty pairs of eyes turned towards me, "I've sworn to protect her, you see," Trunks added.

"Ahh, yes, I see," the old man nodded, before turning to me. "You are a female, aren't you? Those of us who were around when our people stayed on Earth can tell the differences between you two types of Earthlings, although the younger children will not know."

I nodded in confirmation that I was, indeed a female. I had forgotten until the old man brought it up, that Namekians were actually asexual creatures; there were no males or females, instead there was just one sex, and the beings procreated by laying eggs through the mouth individually.

One of the children decided to make the point even clearer, by yelling in loud voice, "Elder, why does the smaller one have lumps on it's chest? Is it sick?"

"No child," Muri replied, not at all surprised by the comment on my obvious abundance of bosom, "the smaller one is a female. She has those parts so she can feed her children."

The child was obviously at the 'but why' stage of his life, and unsatisfied with this explanation, clutched at an older boy's gown, whispering loudly about how it was that I fed children with strange lumps on my body.

By now I could feel my face burning, and realised with some disdain that it would probably take at least ten minutes for the blush to fade. I looked to Trunks to see him struggling not to smile, it was clear he found the whole conversation hilarious.

"Don't laugh," I whispered to Trunks under my breath, "besides, I'm sure they'll start asking 'bout your parts any second now."

All heads turned once again to me, and it took me a second to realise that they had all heard my whispers. Trunks had warned me before that Namekians had better hearing than Saiyans, but I had forgotten.

"Do you have lumpy parts too?" the curious child asked Trunks, his eyes examining Trunks from head to toe.

"Uh, none that you need to see," Trunks replied quickly, his cheeks turning red, "now, about the dragonball…"

Despite the cultural differences, I found the Namekians to be wonderful people, helpful, friendly, and overall kind. When Trunks had explained to the group who my father was, there was one Namek in particular whose reaction stood out. His jaw had dropped, and he stared at me, wide eyed in wonder. As Trunks continued to discuss collecting the dragonballs with Muri, the surprised Namekian approached me.

"Excuse me…uh… Pan," he began, his soft voice emphasised by the kind features of his face. Although he looked very different compared to humans and Saiyans, I found his face strangely handsome, "are you…really Gohan's daughter?"

"Yes," I replied, smiling at the man, who on closer inspection was at least a foot taller than me, "but I've never met him. That's why we're here, to wish him back."

"So I've heard," the Namek said, nodding his head. "I'm Dende, by the way," he added, extending a hand for me to shake.

Smiling, I shook his hand, feeling the leathery skin under my own. "Is this a way of greeting on Namek, too?" I asked, curious to learn as much as I could about this foreign culture.

"No," he laughed, "but Gohan taught me a great deal about Earthlings…he was my childhood friend, you know. I was on the battlefield on Namek when he fought Frieza as a boy."

"Really?" I asked, taken aback. The man before me didn't appear to be the fighting type, his arms didn't look as strong, and he wore a robe like the other Namekians who appeared weaker.

Dende laughed, a happy, musical tone coming from his throat. "I don't look like much of a warrior, do I?" he joked, "But then again, neither do you, and I can tell you're strong." I blushed again, and he chuckled, his grin exposing the elongated canines that reminded me of vampire stories. I was glad Namekians survived on water, not blood. Those teeth looked sharp.

"I wasn't fighting during the battle with Frieza," he clarified, his features darkening as he recalled the memory, "I was healing. Namekians come in two kinds- warriors and healers. Our warriors are naturally strong; they are born with great fighting skills, and spend much time training. Namekian healers are not so good at fighting, but we can do something else which is just as useful on the battlefield."

"You help heal the warriors? With what? The plants that you grow?" I asked eagerly. Perhaps the cultivated plants had the same qualities as senzu beans.

Dende grinned again, taking my arm and leading me over to a seat, motioning for me to sit down beside him. As I did, I realised he was looking at my bandaged arms- I had wrapped some cloth around the scratches I had received when fighting Tarble. Trunks had wanted for me to eat a senzu bean, but seeing that we only had two left, I had refused. It would be foolish to waste a senzu on such minor injuries.

"May I?" Dende asked, poised to remove one of the bandages. I nodded, and watched as he deftly unwrapped the white cloth. He did the same to my other arm, then drew his hands away, facing them towards me with the fingers spread.

"Don't be afraid," he said softly, "I'll show you how I heal people."

Suddenly his hands seemed to give off a soft yellow glow, which quickly transferred to me. Amazed, I watched as the scrapes and cuts disappeared from my arms, leaving nothing but smooth skin.

"There," Dende said, sitting back and smiling, "you're all better."

"Uh…wow!" I exclaimed, "That's amazing!" I looked up to see Trunks standing in front of us, with his eyes trained on my arms. "Did you see?" I asked him, "Dende healed me! Just like a senzu!"

"Yeah, I've seen him heal before," Trunks replied. "Uh… in the past dimension," he quickly added, seeing Dende's confused face.

"Past dimension?" The Namek questioned me.

"Bulma made a time machine… it's a long story, so don't worry about it," I explained.

After this Trunks explained to me that it was time to go find the rest of the dragonballs. Muri had given him a written note to show each of the Namekian elders, and in turn they would give us one of their dragonballs. We had bought the dragonball radar to help us find them, but as it was we wouldn't need it- each village was easy to locate by sensing for ki.

By now, the other Namekians had all sensed our ki, so were not shocked when we arrived at their respective villages. However, they all remained on guard until Trunks showed the elders the note, but after that they were extremely hospitable.

The dragonballs were larger than I expected, I could only manage to hold one under each arm. Trunks eventually carried four, and within a few hours from beginning our collection, we returned to Muri's village, ready to summon the dragon.

Tarble and Gure were already present at Muri's village, and the nerves that I had been putting off all day suddenly surfaced in full force when I saw them. They would either be remaining on New Namek, or returning to Earth with us. Regardless of their decision, I would be returning to Earth, where I would meet my father for the first time.

"Nephew! Niece!" Tarble greeted us on our return, "We've made our decision, Gure and I will come with you to Earth."

"Great!" Trunks replied, grinning in return, "Everyone will be happy to meet you, I'm sure."

By the crowd that had gathered, it was obvious that summoning the dragon was not an everyday occurrence. I noticed many Namekians that we had met during the day in other villages; they had clearly thought it worthwhile to come see the dragon for themselves. The young children were running around with glee, speaking a mixture of English and Namekian, so I couldn't exactly grasp what they were saying. Regardless, the message was clear- this was to be an exciting occasion.

Trunks and I brought the dragonballs over to Muri, who happened to be holding the last one- the one star dragonball. With all seven brought together, the balls began to glow rhythmically, as if they had their own heartbeat. Trunks had discussed the wishes with Muri before, and now handed him the necessary lists needed to wish back the dead. Muri gestured for us to take a place beside Gure and Tarble, and the rest of the Namekians crowded around, enclosing us in a circle.

Muri raised his hands, as if he was about to start, when a cry rang out from someone in the crowd. I didn't understand what was being said- it was in Namekian- but I recognised the voice. It was Dende.

He pushed his way through the throng of people, and began to whisper discretely with Muri in Namekian. As the crowd hushed, I saw many of the other Namekians' faces change, as if they were shocked by what they were hearing. Muri, however, didn't seem at all surprised by whatever Dende was saying. Instead, he seemed to agree, nodding his head, before pulling Dende into a loving embrace, like that between a father and son.

Dende stepped back from Muri and raised his voice, so that his words were sure to be heard by everyone. Still speaking in Namekian, he waved his arms around in excitement, obviously trying to get a point across. Finally, his voice took on a sadder tone, as if he were lamenting about something. When he finished, there were a few returning cries in Namekian, before all fell silent. With a bow to the crowd, Dende walked away from the centre of the clearing, and came to stand directly beside me.

"I'm coming with you," he said to us, his voice quiet but with an air of authority.

"What?" Trunks and I both asked, surprised by the sudden revelation.

"I want to see Earth again," Dende replied, "I miss the friends I made there. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that I will be needed on Earth soon. I know that sounds strange, and I'm no psychic, but I think my place is with you people, for now."

"All right then," Trunks said, smiling at the Namek in front of us, "you're welcome to stay at Capsule Corporation." To anyone else, this statement from Trunks would have seemed entirely welcoming, as if he couldn't be happier to have Dende accompany us. I however, knew Trunks a little better.

Whenever he was worried or uncertain, the smile on Trunks' face would never reach his eyes. This, accompanied with the small twitch of his jaw, told me that something about Dende's statement had bothered him.

Dende's explanation bothered me too. Relying often on my Saiyan instincts, I understood the idea that sometimes you just _know_ you have to do something. But if Dende felt he would be needed on Earth soon, what did that mean to us? Earth was just recovering from the androids; surely there wasn't some other danger, lurking in the darkness, waiting for an attack?

At this thought I shivered, and gripped Trunks' hand tighter. He looked down at me, and it was clear from the look in his eyes that he was thinking along the same lines as me. I shook my head and sighed, hoping that we were just being paranoid.

"It is time!" Muri bellowed, breaking me out of my silent musings. He raised his hand, palms outspread towards the dragonballs, and began to chant in Namekian. On the last word, the sky suddenly began to darken.

I felt the hairs on my arms rise, as the sky grew black, and a huge bolt of lightning rose from the glowing dragonballs. Momentarily blinded, I threw both arms reflexively in front of my face, but remained aware that a huge form was taking shape, only a few meters from where I stood. When I looked up, my mouth dropped open in awe, as I caught my first glimpse of the great monster that was the eternal dragon of Namek.

"Porunga," Dende breathed beside me, his eyes wide and his mouth also hanging open. Around us, members of the crowd also carried similar expressions, as they let out a collective gasp.

"This is it," Trunks said, and gripped my hand tighter. To our left, I heard Gure whimper in fear, and Tarble's reassuring mumbling in some foreign language. My own heart beat faster, and my palms grew sweaty. I hadn't realised the dragon would be quite so big.

His tail grew up from the dragonballs in a thick coil, covered in green scales and spines. The dragon's belly was a pale yellow, but the rest of him was a livid green, and he had a massive head that reminded me of an alligator. His eyes shone red, and two antennae grew out from his forehead. Four black horns also protruded from the head, as well as one on each shoulder. The overall effect gave the creature a menacing quality, as if he were the fierce reality of some freakish nightmare.

"You have collected all seven dragonballs," the dragon boomed, his deep voice resonating all around us, "and now, as it is written, think wisely and I will grant you three wishes within my power."

I swallowed, but my mouth felt dry. My heart fluttered at a frantic pace now, and I clutched on to Trunks' arm as if my life depended on it. Muri began to speak in Namekian, and my breath caught in my throat. The moment I had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Muri held up the first piece of paper to the dragon, then fell silent. I craned my neck to look into the dragon's face, just in time to see his eyes flash brightly. "It is done," he boomed, "the ones on the list have been restored back to life. State your second wish."

Muri spoke again, lifting the second piece of paper in the air. The dragon's eyes flashed again, "It is done," the dragon replied, "those named have been made twenty Earth years younger. State your third wish."

Muri gestured toward us, his voice strong as he spoke the melodic Namekian. I saw the dragon's eye's flash, and then heard a whooshing sound around me.

I gasped from shock, at once letting go of Trunks' arm and sinking to my knees. The air around me was no longer thick with heat; instead it was crisp with cold. I looked up to see blue sky, and breathed in the sweet smell of Earth that I had longed for since our departure.

I stood up, laughing with relief, to see that we- Tarble, Gure, Dende, Trunks and I- stood in front of Capsule Corporation, as if we had never left in the first place. "We're home!" I exclaimed, throwing myself in Trunks' arms.

"Yeah, we're home," Trunks smiled back, "and soon, our fathers will be too."

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you to all of the people who reviewed the last chapter! I hope you all like this one... I'm really excited about what is coming up next in the chapter!

This was discussed in an earlier chapter, but I just thought I'd remind you all to avoid confusion: the guys have been wished back, but they'll still be on King Kai's planet. Goku is goint to use instant transmission to take them to the check in station in other world, and Kami will transport them from there back to the lookout... it's why this chapter finishes with Trunks saying they'll be back soon rather than right now.

Also, I used the terms 'Namekian' and 'Namek' interchangebly in this chapter. At first I was just going to use 'Namekian', but some sentences seemed to sound better with 'Namek', so I ended up using both. As far as I can remember, the funimation dub of DBZ uses both terms too, so I just figured I'd do the same.


	17. Introductions

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z**.

Introductions

I had never seen Bulma quite so unhinged.

She flittered back and forth across the living room in a hurry, rearranging cushions, moving the television, straightening the mats. Every now and then she would stop and stare out the window, as if she were expecting the resurrected fighters to suddenly appear in front of her.

"I'll tell you when I sense them," I told her when she paused again, "you'll know when they're coming."

I didn't want to admit it, but I was feeling just as nervous as Bulma, although I had enough restraint to appear outwardly calm. Since arriving back at Capsule Corporation an hour ago, I had showered and changed into some clothes Bulma had bought for me, and Trunks had gone to show the newest arrivals to Earth a small tour of the building.

It was beginning to worry me that I couldn't sense the fighters yet. The lookout was quite far from Capsule Corp, and it took a considerable amount of effort to continue to scan that area for ki levels, while still trying to stay calm. What could be taking them so long?

"Do you think I look all right?" I asked Bulma, trying to forget about the butterflies in my gut, "You don't think it's too revealing?" I gestured to the deep purple knit top I was wearing, which happened to be a little lower cut than I was used to.

"No way, that top looks perfect on you! It's hardly revealing," Bulma replied, "besides, Trunks will like the view," she added with a wink.

I blushed, turning away and taking a seat on one of the couches. It was nice to be able to talk to Bulma so openly, but I hoped that she wouldn't say anything too embarrassing to do with Trunks and I today, especially in front of my father.

"Do you think I look okay?" Bulma asked suddenly, bringing me out of my thoughts, "I mean, I know I'm young again now, but do you think these are the right clothes? Not too stay-at-home-mum-ish?"

In her tight skinny leg jeans and fitted jacket, I thought Bulma looked nothing like the regular stay-at-home mum. Instead, she looked more like a supermodel, her blue hair curling in soft waves around her shoulders, framing the perfect face that had adorned many magazines over the years.

"You look amazing," I told Bulma honestly, "I bet they'll all be throwing themselves at you."

She snorted at this, shaking her head with a chuckle. "Not _all_ of them," she retorted, "I can bet you that the only one I want to throw himself at me, will ignore me all day as if I don't exist. Sometimes when I think about Vegeta, it amazes me that Trunks was ever born. He's just so stubborn! I can't believe he never even told me that he had a brother!"

It was at this moment that a huge group of ki appeared suddenly where the lookout was, and I almost choked on my glass of water. "They're… here…" I spluttered through coughs, "They're here Bulma! I can sense them!"

Bulma screamed, making my flinch. "Mum!" she called down the hall, "Mum! Dad! They'll be here soon! Did you order the takeout like I asked? Are all the spare rooms set up?"

"Yes they are," Dr. Briefs replied, walking into the room, "the bots have done anything, there really isn't any reason to worry sweetheart." The not-so-old-now scientist no longer needed a walking stick to get around, and still appeared to be celebrating this fact, dancing himself into the nearby kitchen. "It's so good to be young again!" he sang to an unknown tune, a black cat- Scratch Junior- following closely behind with the occasional 'meow'.

Trunks had obviously sensed the arrival of the warriors too, he now came into the living room, followed by Gure, Tarble and Dende, and grabbed me in a quick hug. I could hear his heart beating rapidly, and for the first time realised he was just as nervous as me.

"We should go wait for them outside," he whispered to me, kissing my forehead, "just me and you. We can explain to them about the others then, instead of giving everyone a shock."

I nodded and took his hand, letting him guide me out onto the balcony, and over the rail onto the damp lawn below. We were lucky that it was a sunny day today, the kind in winter that was extremely cold, but very beautiful. Looking into the sky, I could feel the group moving swiftly toward us. It wouldn't be long until they all arrived.

"What if…" I began, staring at the ground, kicking at the grass beneath my feet, "what if they don't like me? I mean… they'll probably just think I'm some stupid little kid."

"Panda," Trunks replied, grabbling my shoulders and forcing me too look him in the eye, "they're going to think you're great, because you are. You're smart and strong and beautiful, and you're the whole reason they're back here. I don't think its possible for someone not to like an awesome girl like you."

I screwed up my nose and poked my tongue out at Trunks, but wrapped my arms around his muscular torso nonetheless. He had changed into a pair of blue jeans, and wore a white shirt under a navy woolen jumper. The relaxed style of the outfit suited him well, and he looked like he could have come straight out of a photo shoot for some magazine.

We stayed hugging each other in the cold, both our hearts beating at an increased rate from sheer nerves. "I feel like I'm going to throw up," Trunks mumbled into my hair, "I hope Gohan doesn't react badly to finding out we're together."

"Just don't hurl on me," I replied with a nervous giggle, "and don't worry, I'm sure he won't mind at all."

"Hnn, I hope you're right, the last thing I need is an angry Super Saiyan on my tail," he murmured, taking the opportunity to nibble on my ear and grab my butt, "I won't be able to do this in front of him, I suppose," he continued, kissing at my neck.

"Trunks," I giggled, "I think you should stop now, before they get here. They're really close now!"

"Mmphmm…" came the muffled reply, coupled by a swift slap on my behind.

"Mmm… Trunks… you're such a rebel y'know," I mumbled between kisses, but quickly pulled away when I saw a movement in the distance. "Trunks!" I yelled, "There they are!"

Trunks quickly stopped what he was doing and straightened his clothes, turning around to look at the shapes in the distant sky. At first I could only make out two, shining yellow, and knew at once that those were the two other Super Saiyans- Prince Vegeta, and my father. Within a few seconds, though, I could see a number of others trailing behind. The sight was amazing, not because of what it looked like, but because of what it signified.

Earth's special forces- the men of modern day legends- had returned.

I stood beside Trunks, my heartbeat pounding in my ears, and watched as the men grew closer. Watching the two Super Saiyans, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu, reminding me of the first time I had met Trunks. Then, I had mistaken him for an angel, with his graceful, yet powerful appearance. Looking at the two soar in the sky above us, I could clearly see why I had thought that, with their mythical appearance, like great kings out of some fairytale.

They touched down in front of us, one by one; each of their graceful landings making no more than a soft tapping noise as their feet hit soil. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe, as I looked into the eyes of the men I had heard of, and dreamed of meeting for so long.

Trunks' father had been the first to land. I understood now why Tarble called him a true prince, even as he phased out of his Super Saiyan form there was an aura of power that remained around him, demanding respect. His eyes met mine for a moment, and I felt as if the man could strip you down to nothing, as if he had the ability to see right through someone into the darkest depths of their thoughts. I realised then that Bulma wasn't the only parent from whom Trunks had inherited his intelligence; Vegeta was obviously a very smart man himself.

I quickly averted my eyes from Vegeta's stare, his unwavering glare made me too uncomfortable. Instead, I looked to the second man who touched down; the one whom I thought had looked amazing in his Super Saiyan form. My father.

Now back to his normal state, he stared straight at me, his eyes guarded, but with underlying warmth in them. He had a scar that stretched across his face, from his forehead to his cheek, but I was glad to see that he had both arms- Trunks had told me my father had lost his left arm in a battle against the androids, not long before he died.

He was tall. I couldn't help pouting as I guessed that he'd have to be about six feet, why couldn't I have inherited the tall genes? At almost seventeen, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to grow any taller. It was just my luck that I'd get stuck being five feet high.

The strangest thing about it all, though, was the resemblance. It wasn't totally obvious, but when I looked at him, there were certain aspects of me in there, from the way he stood, to the shape of his nose. Even sensing his ki was strange, like looking through a fogged up mirror. I couldn't see all the details clearly, but I knew that a likeness of me was in there somewhere.

Or, I guess, the reality was that I was a likeness of him. I was his child, the things that made me the way I am could have only come from two people, him, and my mother. I wouldn't even exist if it weren't for them.

At that last thought the emotions I had been putting off all day hit me in full force. I bit my lip, suddenly feeling as if I were drowning in all of my thoughts. Vivid memories of me wishing for a daddy when blowing out birthday candles replayed in my head, along with the memories of countless nights, lying sleepless in bed, trying to conjure up an idea of what the man who fathered me could have been like.

And now the man was standing in the flesh, right in front of me.

At first I didn't even notice the tears rolling down my face, it was only when I heard the first plop as one hit the ground that I realised I was crying. I rolled my eyes and laughed- although it came out more like a strangled sob- and brushed the offending tears away quickly with the back of my hand, trying to sniffle as discreetly as possible. I had always been a bit of a crybaby, but it was bloody embarrassing to break down in front of a bunch of macho men.

My tears just added to the awkwardness. I didn't know how long we had all been standing there for in complete silence, but it didn't seem like a very practical thing to do. I wished for a moment that I had telepathic powers; if only I could speak to Trunks through my mind, then I could tell him to hurry up and say something.

Instead, Trunks seemed content to stare back at all of them, not making any indication that he was ready to speak at all. Frustrated, I sighed, and bit my lip again.

"Okay," I finally began, gaining the attention of everyone's eyes, "I think it's quite cold out here, so maybe we should go inside?"

The typical conversation starter- a comment on the weather- seemed to do the trick, spurring some action into the men who could have previously been taken for garden statues. Mumbles of "Hmm," and "Oh, yeah, it's cold today," quickly traveled around the group. Finally, someone spoke to me.

"You're Gohan's daughter," the huge, green Namekian, who could only be Piccolo, stated, looking me in the eye.

"I am," I replied, willing my voice not to shake too much under pressure, "My name is Pan."

"Hmm," he grunted in reply, "You are the one who thought to wish us back?" he asked.

"Yes," I confirmed with a nod, "the idea came to me after I dreamed about a dragon… I'm glad it worked out."

"So am I," he said after a pause, "thank you." He walked swiftly past me after that, his huge strides taking him inside the main doors of Capsule Corp. within a matter of seconds. As I watched his retreating form, a small smile tugged at my lips. Piccolo seemed like a gruff man, the kind that wouldn't show any feelings at all if he could help it, so it felt good to be acknowledged by him like that.

"Father," Trunks finally spoke, "Your brother is here."

"My brother!" Vegeta said, clearly surprised. Like his son, though, he quickly gained control of his features, at once putting up an air of indifference. "Tarble, you mean?" he asked.

"Yes, we met him on Namek," Trunks replied, "He's going to stay here at Capsule Corp. with his wife for now."

"Hmph. I bet he's still a weakling like he was when we were children. He better not interfere with my training," the Prince grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest before walking inside, his head held high. Beside me, I heard Trunks breathe a sigh of relief.

I turned back towards the group of men, and to my surprise my father was standing directly in front of me, staring down at me with sad eyes.

"Hi there," he said softly, "I'm… um, Gohan… but you can call me dad… if you want… you don't have to though… I mean, if it's too weird." He finished off with a nervous chuckle, one hand scratching at the back of his head in the habit I was all too familiar with.

In fact, I was so familiar with it, it took me a second to realise I was mirroring him; my right hand placed behind my head like I always did when nervous. I giggled a little, and he laughed, the smile finally reaching his eyes. "You too, huh?" he asked, "the habit comes from my dad, sometimes I don't even notice that I'm doing it."

"Same," I replied with a grin, happy to have broken through the first awkward barrier, "you wouldn't think habits were genetic, but I guess they are. I wish I could have inherited the height from you, though."

"Hm?" he said, raising his eyebrows, before taking a step back to look me up and down, "oh yeah, but… you look fine to me… girls are allowed to be… um…"

"Short?" I finished for him, "yeah, but it's kinda a pain when you can't reach the top shelf in the supermarket. And it's not like I can just start flying in the middle of a busy store, I don't want people thinking I'm weird or anything."

He chuckled a little at that, nodding his head. "Never mind," he said after a moment, "I still think you seem perfect, to me."

I blushed at his last comment, and glanced up at his face to see that he was doing the same. I don't think he had intended to tell me that last bit.

Trunks cleared his throat, and my father looked over to him, a wide grin stretching across his face as he did so. "Trunks," he began, shaking his head, "what the hell happened to you, you're huge!"

Trunks returned the grin, laughing happily. "You haven't changed a bit, Gohan!" he said, "It's good to see you again, man!"

"It's good to see you too, little bro," my father replied, pulling Trunks into a 'manly' type of hug, complete with the loud pats on the back, "I can't believe you're a fully grown man now," he continued, gripping onto Trunks shoulders, "what happened to the shrimpy little kid I used to know?"

"Shrimpy?" Trunks replied in mock anger, "who are you calling shrimpy? Mum finished the time machine, y'know, and I went back to the past and saw everyone. Now _you_ were a shrimpy kid, if I may say so myself."

"Whatever," my father replied dismissing the subject with a shake of his head. "Come on, let's go inside, it's freezing out here!"

I followed quietly behind Trunks and my father, as they too took the main entrance in to the building. I was aware that all the others followed behind me, and was thankful that Capsule Corp was equipped with four elevators, rather than just one.

"Hey," someone whispered beside me, and I looked down to see a bald man, whose head rose to my shoulder, walking beside me, "the name's Krillin, it's good to meet you."

"Yeah," I smiled back at him, shaking his hand, "I guess you already know that I'm Pan, huh?"

"Yeah," Krillin replied, "boy, were we surprised when King Kai told us you existed! Especially your age, I mean, Gohan was pretty… uh… oh," he trailed off, looking ahead nervously. I looked forward to see my father give Krillin a quick, but menacing glare, before continuing his conversation with Trunks.

I blushed, nodding my head. "My parents were young," I whispered quietly, "but I'm glad it happened, or I wouldn't exist, and I'm quite happy to be alive, right now."

Krillin chuckled quietly, his mouth stretching into a wide grin beneath the space where a nose should be, "I have to agree with you on that one," he said, "I'm quite happy to be alive too."

By now we had reached the elevators, and squeezed in with my father and Trunks. As the doors closed, Trunks smiled down at me, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, and wiping my cheek with his thumb. "You okay, Panda?" he asked softly.

"Mmm hmm," I replied, glancing quickly to my father, to gauge his reaction to the intimacy Trunks was displaying. His right eyebrow was raised slightly, but other than that he didn't say anything, and instead looked away.

"My dad told me about you two," he said as the elevator doors opened, "everyone knows. Apparently you were doing 'married people's stuff' in a car," he looked to Trunks, his face deadly serious, "I hope you're as responsible as I like to think," he said quietly.

Trunks swallowed loudly, "I've been dreading this talk," he told my father, "but I love her, Gohan. I'll take good care of her, you know that. Besides, Goku just saw us kissing… I don't know where he gets his ideas from."

"Hmm," my father grumbled, "Dad's just a little naïve, that's all. Just… just use your heads, is all I'm asking."

I nodded and followed the two bigger men down the hall, Krillin still walking at my side. I could tell my face was bright red, but was thankful my companion didn't choose to point it out. I let out a big sigh, I was glad I at least didn't have to worry about hiding my relationship with Trunks from anybody.

"So," Krillin began, "do you know the names of the rest of the guys?" He turned around as he walked, gesturing to the men following behind us.

"Oh, yeah," I replied, "I've seen photos and movies of everyone, so I know people's names. I'm glad now, 'cause there'd be too many too learn at once, otherwise."

We entered the living room, to find Tarble and Vegeta engaged in conversation in a strange, guttural language. Both of the men stood facing the large window overlooking the city, their stances mimicking each other, with arms folded across their chests.

Piccolo and Dende were also talking, their hushed speech in Namekian sounding like water running over pebbles. Gure and Bulma weren't present at all.

"I don't know where my mum's gone," Trunks said, addressing the guests who now walked one by one into the room, "but I'm sure she hasn't gone far, just take a seat anywhere. Does anyone want a drink?"

After bringing out a small capsule fridge full of various refreshments, Trunks sat down beside me, on the couch nearest to the door. Bulma had arranged the living room so that every wall was lined with leather couches, ensuring that there would be enough seats for everyone. There was a large television in the far corner, placed just right so that it was visible no matter where you sat.

"So," began one of the men, whom I recognised as Yamcha, with the two distinct scars running across his face, "you're Bulma's kid, huh?"

Trunks snorted, sitting up straight on the couch and setting the full force of his gaze upon Yamcha, "Well I can hardly be considered a kid now," he replied, "but yes, I'm Bulma's son. The name's Trunks, if any of you didn't know."

"Since we're on the matter of introductions," Tarble cut in, "My name is Tarble, I'm Vegeta's younger brother. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

Now everyone turned to the two figures by the window, and it was clear that everyone was surprised by the sight of the two brothers standing together. Vegeta's cold, indifferent glare contrast greatly with Tarble's smile. Their faces weren't the only things contrasting either; Vegeta would have never been considered a tall man, but Tarble's short frame made Vegeta look like a giant.

"I think my wife's run off with Lady Bulma," Tarble continued, eyeing the door, "I'm not exactly sure what they're planning."

At this, Dende said something in Namekian, to which Tarble replied in the same language, his mouth forming the various sounds with ease. In the day that I had known him, I had already heard him speaking four different languages; from this I concluded that Tarble, too, must share the high intelligence of his brother and nephew.

"I'm Dende, by the way. Some of you might remember me," Dende said, his lips stretching into a grin as he looked at my father.

"_Dende_?" my father asked, standing up in amazement, "you're little Dende? No way!"

The room immediately broke out into a flurry of conversation, with people reminiscing about being on planet Namek, and telling stories about past battles. Dende told the group more about Tarble and Gure's history, and soon Tarble was talking animatedly with my father about Saiyan culture, and the reasons why he wasn't on planet Vegeta when it was destroyed. Trunks and I remained seated where we were, tentatively sipping at our drinks and listening quietly to the stories the others told.

"So, Pan," Krillin asked, turning to me, "how long have you known the Briefs for?"

"Well," I began, "it's a long story… but basically I've known them for just over six months. Actually, I didn't even know who my father was until I met Trunks."

"What?" the three-eyed man, Tien, asked, "you didn't know Gohan was your father?"

By now, I had gained the attention of everyone in the room. I sighed, and figured that since people would probably find out all about my history anyway, I might as well tell them myself.

I explained about my grandfather Hurcule's reaction to my mother's pregnancy, his title of World Martial Arts Champion, and my mother's reluctance to name who my father was because she didn't want him to be killed. At this revelation, I looked up to see my father's eyebrows knitted in a deep scowl, before he buried his head in his hands.

"Bloody hell," I heard him mumble, "what a mess."

I continued to recount my life history; the fact that I was born in a convent, that my mother had chosen not to tell me the name of my father, and that as I grew older I had noticed that I was different from others.

"I thought something was seriously wrong with me," I told the group, who were now all listening intently, "I mean, what kind of girl can lift a car over her head when she's ten?"

I continued to tell them about the problems I had with my powers, and was relieved to find out I wasn't the only one who had pulled doors of their hinges, or broken countless household items.

"And all this time, you had no idea that you were part Saiyan?" Tarble questioned.

"I had no idea at all," I replied, "aliens aren't something that Earthlings would usually consider. It was only when Trunks went Super Saiyan in front of me that I began to believe people from other planets could even exist."

I had been so engrossed in telling my story, I hadn't noticed the fact that Bulma and Gure had been standing in the doorway, listening to what I said. As I glanced at her, she motioned for me to continue, obviously not wanting to disrupt my little monologue with her own appearance.

I turned back to the group, taking another sip of my drink before beginning to explain about my first meeting with Trunks. As I explained about the men who chased me into the alley, I looked up to see all of the fighters with the same, horrified expression on their faces.

"They… they didn't… hurt you, did they?" my father asked, plainly worried.

"Well," I replied, "one did try to stick his hand up my skirt, but…" I trailed off as I looked back at my father, and was shocked by what I saw. Until now, I hadn't really thought of him as a scary man, but seeing his anger, barely restrained, made me reevaluate my thinking.

His ki level had risen dramatically, and he now sat there shaking, his fists clenched to the point that his knuckles stood out white. His hair had risen to stand up on end, and his eyes were beginning to make the change from their usually dark colour to teal.

"But it was okay!" I said, raising my voice and waving my arms in attempt to calm him, "I beat him up!"

My father seemed to gain a little more control over himself after that, and his ki level slowly decreased again. "You fought them?" he asked, "but I thought you said you never did any kind of martial arts training?"

"I didn't." I replied, "but when he touched me, something snapped. One minute he was here, the next he was all beat up, because I'd thrown him into a brick wall. I can't even remember doing it."

"Hmm," Piccolo cut in, "Gohan was the same when I first trained him. His latent power only came out when he was in dangerous situations."

"That's exactly right! And then the second guy fired his gun at me, and the bullet was aimed at my head, but I caught it!" I proceeded to tell them the rest of the story after that, ending with the fact that I had met my nana Chi Chi and Ox King for the first time, and that my mother had been told about me being an alien.

"That must have been weird, for your mum," Krillin commented.

"I believe the words she said to me when I told her were somewhere along the lines of 'get out of my house, you crazy bitch'," Bulma replied from the doorway, and all the men turned their heads to look at her for the first time.

"B… Bulma?" Yamcha mumbled, blinking as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Hey guys!" she said, flashing them a perfect grin, "It's great to have you all back! Just like old times!"

I looked around the room, amused to find all the men looking like they had seen a ghost, especially considering they were the one's who were back from the dead.

"You… look really great, Bulma," Krillin finally said, "like you haven't aged at all."

Bulma frowned at this, squaring her shoulders. "Is that what it is?" she questioned, "You guys are all staring at me 'cause you were expecting some old wrinkled lady to walk through the door? Hmph! I'll tell you, I've always looked good for my age!"

"Which is now only in her early thirties," Trunks cut in, "the second wish with the dragonballs was to make everyone- mum, Chi Chi, Ox King, my grandparents and Puar and Oolong- twenty years younger, so it's like you guys never left."

"Oh so that's it!" Yamcha laughed, "and here I was thinking maybe you just got plastic surgery or something! Haha, no, you just used the dragon instead!"

By now Bulma looked like she was seething. "It was Trunks' idea," she said slowly, her anger clear by the tone of her voice, "we had an extra wish, so it seemed like a good idea. And I would never get plastic surgery!"

Yamcha seemed to cower, sinking lower in his seat as Bulma stormed into the room. "Here!" she said, waving a DVD case in her hand, before bending down by the television to turn the disk on, "I've got something for all of you to watch."

Trunks stiffened beside me, and he leaned forward, trying to see what Bulma held. "Mum," he began, "please tell me you didn't."

"Didn't what?" she asked sweetly, as she switched on the TV.

"No. No!" Trunks said, shaking his head, "Don't be stupid, mother, no one wants to see that!"

Bulma grinned, "Of course they do," she said, grabbing the remote and turning up the volume. The DVD started playing, showing a two-year-old Trunks running around in diapers.

"NO!" Trunks yelled, "Turn that shit off!"

"It's not shit!" Bulma yelled back, "It's my beautiful son! And these guys missed you growing up, so they deserve to see it now! I just did a short montage of videos over the years, its not that bad, Trunks. Besides, Pan wants to see it, don't you?" she asked, turning to me.

"Uh…" I hesitated, looking into the angry face of my boyfriend. The truth was, I very much did want to see Trunks' home videos- he was a very cute baby- but I was a little reluctant to say so in my current situation.

"She does," Bulma answered for me, "So just be a good boy, and let them watch. Your father has to catch up on everything he's missed."

Trunks glared at his mother, his eyes narrowing into slits. If looks could kill, Bulma would have been dead for sure.

"You are the worst mother in the universe," he told her, "I cannot believe the lengths you go to just to humiliate me."

"Whatever," Bulma said, shrugging, as her grin grew even wider. "You're so cute when you're angry," she added, blowing him a kiss.

"Hmph," Trunks grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back into the couch, "this is ridiculous."

At this point, Gure walked into the room, coming to sit on Tarble's lap. After Tarble explained that she was indeed his wife- much to everyone's shock- we all settled in to watch the home movies.

Trunks remained grumpy the whole time, tapping two of his fingers against his arm constantly in irritation. I patted him on the leg, giving him a reassuring smile. "You were a very cute boy," I whispered quietly.

"I'm surprised you're so happy about this," he whispered back, "especially considering that you're next."

"What?" I asked, shocked. Looking over to Bulma, I realised for the first time that she had been carrying two DVD cases, and one did indeed say 'Pan'.

"Oh no," I groaned quietly, "How the hell did she get those?"

"Probably part of your punishment for jumping aboard the ship," Trunks suggested, "Now you know how I feel."

I sighed and leaned against Trunks, the heat already rushing to my face. Why did Bulma want to show baby movies so much?

As the videos of Trunks got into his teenage years, I heard familiar footsteps coming down the hall. Getting up from my seat, I looked up just in time to see the huge Ox King come lumbering through the doorway.

"Grandpa!" I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around his huge middle in a hug, "you look great!"

"Hello sweetheart," he said in his deep voice, "it's so good to see you again."

His hair was not the gray I was used to anymore. Instead, it was a chocolate brown, and much of the wrinkles that had lined his face had now disappeared. I smiled, glad to know that he would still be around for many more years to come.

"Pan!" my nana screeched, pulling me away from the Ox King and into her own hug, "Oh Pan, you had me worried sick! Flying off into outer space, what were you thinking?"

"Oh, well…"

"Never mind," she said, "I forgive you, sweetheart. You're too cute to stay angry at."

I pulled myself out of her embrace, and was immediately shocked by what I saw. Gone were all the wrinkles and gray hairs, leaving a very young looking, very beautiful Chi Chi in its place.

"Wow," I said, blinking, "Nana, you look amazing!"

"You think?" she asked, smoothing out her skirt, "oh, If only Goku could be here. I do miss him so."

As it was, Nana cried when she saw my father, and stayed sobbing into his shirt for at least fifteen minutes before she began to calm down.

"Gohan," she said finally, "you've been a very naughty boy. What's all this about sneaking out to parties, hmm? And getting Videl pregnant at fourteen… I thought I raised you better."

"Uh… mum… can we talk about this some other time?" he said, blushing and glancing at me, "I don't really think it's appropriate right now."

Nana looked at him knowingly, shaking her head. Clicking her tongue, she spoke again, "I'm very glad it happened. Pan's the best gift you've ever given me, sweetheart."

"Oh," my father said, blinking as Nana hugged him again, "well all right, then."

With everyone happy, we settled in to a buffet full of takeout, enough to feed five hungry Saiyans and a whole lot more. Relaxing back on the couch afterwards, I was almost tempted to let my eyes close and fall asleep, when I heard another set of footsteps coming down the hall.

"Oh no," I whispered as I heard the large amount of cursing that accompanied the fast paced footsteps, "oh man I'm in trouble."

"Pan!" my mother yelled, her hands on her hips as she stood in the doorway, "How _dare_ you disobey me like that! Don't you realise I tell you things for your own good?"

"But mum," I began, fully aware that everyone was staring at us now, "I didn't mean to… um…"

I looked up, surprised that my mother hadn't already cut me off like she usually would in a fight. As it turned out, she wasn't even looking at me. Instead, her eyes were focused on my father, her mouth half open and her face drained of colour.

"Gohan," she whispered, "my Kami, it's really you."

Then she collapsed.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter :)

I hope you all enjoy this one… I know it was kind of a big deal so I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations!


	18. Mothers, fathers, and time

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Mothers, fathers, and that annoying thing called Time.

"Mum!" I yelled, and without thinking I was beside her in a flash, cradling her limp body in my arms. I was glad to hear her heart was still beating regularly, and her breathing seemed normal enough- so she had just fainted out of shock.

"Oh no!" Bulma said, and I looked up to see her kneeling beside me, "Oh, poor thing, her nerves got the best of her. You know you really worried her, Pan, sneaking on like that. It's not easy being a mother."

"I know," I whispered, hoping I wasn't going to burst into tears for the second time today. I hated seeing my mother hurt, especially knowing I was part of the cause of it.

"Can you carry her into a spare bedroom?" Bulma asked. When I nodded, she stood up and walked out of the room. I got my arms under my mother as best as I could, and stood up slowly. I was vaguely aware of the others saying things as I left the room, but all I could think of was the welfare of my mother.

Laying her down on one of the spare beds, I sighed, trying to work out what had happened. She had seemed perfectly normal when she first entered the room, it was only when she saw my father that I realised something was wrong.

Could he really be the reason she fainted? I hadn't really given any thought to how my mother would feel upon seeing my father again. Now I realised how selfish I had been.

Here I was, so excited to meet my father that I had completely disregarded my mother's feelings on the matter. She hadn't seen the guy since he was fourteen, since the day he got her pregnant. That had to suck. _'What will he think of me?'_ she had asked me the day we had announced our plans to use the dragonballs. Obviously, the whole thing was worrying her a lot, and I hadn't even noticed.

Man I was stupid.

"Here," Bulma said, bringing in a damp cloth, "Put it on her forehead." I complied, brushing back my mother's short fringe to lay the cloth down. "She'll be okay," Bulma added, smiling reassuringly at me, "why don't you come back out with everyone?"

"No, I'll stay here," I replied, stroking my mother's arm. "I'll wait till she wakes up." Bulma nodded, and began to walk out of the room. "You told her we were back?" I asked the blue-haired genius.

"I had to," Bulma replied, turning to look at me again, "she's your mother, and she's been worried sick- literally. I know Videl is a little over protective of you, but it's not my place to say anything to her. _You_ need to sort it out with your mother, Pan. And you need to realise that your father's absence has affected your mother just as much as it has you." With that, Bulma left, closing the door silently behind her.

"Oh mum," I whispered, sitting down on the stool near the bed, "I'm so sorry."

***

I wasn't sure how much time had passed- although I knew I'd been sitting there for a while at least- when I heard a faint tapping on the door. Before I could answer, the door opened, and my father walked in.

My stomach flipped. What was I meant to say to him now? Not really knowing what to do, I just sat there, staring at his tall figure.

He really was quite a handsome man, regardless of the scar that ran down his face. His dark eyes- such a deep brown they almost looked black- were soft when he left his face unguarded. They seemed like deep pools, and I shuddered involuntarily, thinking about all the horrific sights those eyes must have seen over the years.

He kept his eyes trained on my mother, some strange emotion swirling around in them, his eyebrows creased in a small frown, as he chewed on his bottom lip.

"Does… does she hate me?" he asked, looking at me for the first time.

"No, I don't think so," I told him honestly, "but I really don't know what she thinks."

He nodded, taking in a deep breath. "I thought…" he began, pausing to search for the right words, "I thought that she didn't love me anymore, when I went to her house and she was gone. It never occurred to me that she could have been pregnant, or that her father might have taken her away against her will."

"But mum said that after… after you two… um… you never came back. She said she waited for you every night, until grandpa found out."

"I was attacked by the androids," my father explained, "the day after I slept with her. I was in hospital for two months. When I found out she had moved away, I was so depressed with the idea that she no longer wanted me that I just gave up on looking for her." He shook his head, screwing up his face, "I've been so stupid!"

"Oh," I said, blinking in surprise. Now I knew both sides of the story, that both my parents had still wanted each other, it seemed almost ridiculous. How stupid indeed, that such misunderstandings had kept them apart, and kept me from ever meeting my father.

It was at this moment that my mother began to stir, her eyes fluttering open slowly. "Mum?" I asked, "Mum, are you okay?" Turning to my father, I frowned, trying to think of a nice way to say 'go away'. I didn't really think mum would want him here right now, seeing that she had fainted at the sight of him. "Maybe you should give me and mum some time to talk first," I suggested, hoping I didn't sound too rude.

"No," my mother whispered, propping herself up on her elbows, "No, Panny. You go now, okay? I need to talk to Gohan, I think."

"Are… are you sure?" I asked her, picking up the cloth that had fallen off her head.

"Yes. Off you go now, okay? I'll be fine, sweetie. I'm sorry I worried you."

I got up, walking around my father towards the door. I turned and looked at them, my two parents, together in the same room. Strangely enough, I didn't want to leave them alone like that. "But, what about me?" I asked, "Aren't I in trouble?"

My mother laughed, flopping back against the bed. "Pan," she said sternly, "you need to go now. And I don't want you using your Super Saiyan hearing or whatever it is to listen in on our conversation. Go. I'll deal with you later."

"Fine," I grumbled, walking out and shutting the door behind me.

"She's the only kid you'll meet who asks for punishment," I heard my mother say, coupled by my father's laugh, before I walked out of earshot. I really wished I didn't have to leave them like that, what if he upset her even more?

It dawned on me suddenly that I was feeling _protective_ of my mother. With a chuckle, I realised that she must feel like this when she sees me with Trunks. No wonder she always seemed so frustrated!

***

Still pouting at being told to leave by my mother, I walked back into the living room. Seeing all the faces staring back at me, I blushed, and made a beeline for the kitchen, quickly burying my head in the refrigerator, more out of embarrassment than anything else.

"Looking for something?" Trunks whispered behind me, gently placing his hands on my hips.

"Just a soda," I replied, pulling out a can. "My dads in there with my mum," I whispered to him, "It's weird."

"You find it weird that your parents are speaking to each other?" Trunks asked with a small smile. I rolled my eyes, burying my head in his shoulder.

"I know that sounds really dumb, but it's just… I don't know, with mum fainting and all… it got me worried."

"Gohan is a good guy, Panda," Trunks murmured in my ear, "he won't hurt your mum, I'm sure of it. He wants the best for the both of you. Now come on, people will begin to think we're doing dodgy things if we stay in the kitchen any longer."

I giggled, nudging Trunks in the side, before letting him pull me back into the living room. We sat back down in the same spot as before, and once again I tucked my feet up under me. I smiled at Chiaotzu as I caught his gaze, and he smiled tentatively back before looking up at Tien for reassurance. It was strange to think the little guy was actually as old as my grandfather Goku, he still seemed like a little kid to me.

"How's Videl?" Bulma asked quietly, looking up from a magazine she was reading.

"She's okay," I replied, "My dad's with her."

"Hmm," Bulma said with a nod, looking back down at her magazine as if she didn't really care. I didn't miss, however, the other looks that passed around the room. I blushed; it was embarrassing having your parents as the topic of latest gossip.

"Yamcha!" came a high-pitched squeal from the doorway, breaking another awkward silence.

"Puar!" Yamcha exclaimed, jumping to his feet as the blue cat flew over to him, "How have you been, buddy?"

As Puar and Yamcha began to chat, others of the group came in. "Hey Pan," Oolong greeted me, "I like your outfit."

Trunks growled beside me, causing Oolong to cower a little. I laughed, relaxing a little now that there were more people here that I knew. "Don't worry Oolong," I said, "Trunks doesn't bite."

"I might if he touches anything he's not supposed to," Trunks added, to which I replied with a stern glare.

"Be good," I told him, "besides, you know I can take care of myself when it comes to these guys."

"Ooh, Pan! Why don't you come here and give your old master a welcome kiss?" Master Roshi called from the doorway, "Or not," he added, catching Trunks' menacing glare.

I rolled my eyes, reaching down to stroke Turtle on the head as he lumbered in. "You must be finding it cold here," I asked the sea creature, "it's not your usual habitat, is it?"

"Ooh yes," he replied, "it's very cold. If the heater's on over there I might just go relax beside it, otherwise I'm afraid I'll have to keep my head in my shell for today."

I smiled, bending down to lift the Turtle off the ground. "Let me help you," I said, carrying him across the room, which was a better option than him trying to maneuver past the bottles and cups that now littered the floor.

"Why thank you," he replied when I sat him down, "you're very sweet."

"So you've met these guys before?" Tien asked me, as I sat on the floor beside Turtle.

"Yeah, Master Roshi was one of the first people to train me. Sometimes I take Nimbus out to the island, the weather's always nice there."

"Wait, you have a nimbus cloud?" Yamcha asked, listening in on the conversation.

"It's Goku's old one," Master Roshi cut in, "it lets Pan ride it, so I told her she could keep it. You find it quite useful, don't you?" He asked, turning to me.

"Yeah! It's good on days when I don't really feel like flying around, or when I'm wearing a skirt or something. And after training all day with Trunks; that's when I really need it," I added with a laugh.

"Hmph," Vegeta cut in, glaring at me, "how typical of one of Kakarot's descendants, to not _feel_ like flying some days. What a pathetic example of a Saiyan you are."

"Hey now," Trunks began, "Pan is extremely talented. And she has good reasons for not flying, some days."

"Name some!" Vegeta barked back, "because as far as I know, excuses lead to death on the battlefield."

I bit my lip and blushed, looking at Trunks. He gazed back at me, silently asking what he should do.

"Well," Vegeta said, "we're all waiting for your reasons."

The heat rushed to my face even more than before, as Vegeta turned the full force of his gaze upon me. I looked down, playing with the fabric of my jeans. "I get cramps," I mumbled, too low for any of the humans to hear "when its that time of the month. Of course, you wouldn't know what its like, because you're an ignorant man."

I gasped in surprise when Vegeta's face suddenly appeared an inch from mine. "What was that you called me?" he asked, his voice menacingly low, "Ignorant, hmm? I'll have you know I am the Prince of Saiyans, and the only ignorant one here is you, you pathetic little girl. Your 'time of the month' is no excuse, although perhaps I may sympathise with you a little, seeing that your sex is so much inferior to that of my own."

"Vegeta!" Bulma yelled, pulling him up and away from me, "Leave her alone, you big bully! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me, woman," he told her, pulling his arm away from her grip, "now get your filthy paws off me."

"Ugh!" Bulma screamed, stamping her foot, "You're such a jerk, Vegeta!"

"Yeah, well you're a psychotic bitch!"

"Dick head!"

"Fat cow!"

The room fell silent, as we all waited for Bulma's reaction. I think even Vegeta realised his mistake, swallowing the same way Trunks does whenever he's in trouble.

"I am not fat," Bulma stated, her voice mastering the same cool menace that Vegeta had employed on me moments earlier, "I am one of the most beautiful women on this planet, and one of the most desired, too. You should feel lucky, to have ever had the pleasure of my affection."

"If you mean the snoring I put up with every night for two years, then yes, I'm so _very_ grateful for that," Vegeta quipped sarcastically.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Bulma replied.

"Well I'm not," Vegeta said with a chuckle, "and you are an even bigger fool than I thought."

"No, you're the fool," Bulma replied, "so don't come crawling into my bed tonight, all right? I don't sleep with dogs." And with that, she strode out of the room, her head held high.

Vegeta growled, turning his head to glare at me once more. After a moment, he too strode out of the room.

"Wow," Krillin said with a sigh of relief, "I've heard of their legendary quarrels, but I've never seen one before! What was that about, anyway?"

"Umm," I mumbled, knowing now that my face was bright red, "I'd rather not say."

"Ahh, don't worry 'bout it," Yamcha said, smiling at me, "the guy's a jerk. No one likes him. He should just leave the planet, no one wants him here."

I stiffened, knowing well that Trunks, for one, very much wanted his father here, the same as I wanted my own. I looked across at Trunks, his face appeared indifferent, but I could tell it was merely a mask that hid his true feelings.

Yamcha, following my gaze, seemed to realise his mistake, red appearing on his cheeks. "Ah, no offense man," he offered to Trunks.

"Oh, none taken," Trunks replied coolly, "It's perfectly understandable for a jilted lover such as yourself to make such ridiculous and offensive remarks about the man who took your place. It must be hard, being you."

The room fell silent once again, and I could hear nothing except for the breaths and heartbeats of the people close by. I felt sick; one stupid comment by me had caused a _heap_ of trouble. It was enough to wish that a hole in the floor would open up and suck me in, away from this place.

"Trunks, sweetie," I began, blushing, "um… do you wanna drink the rest of my soda?" I asked, motioning to the can I had left on the small table near him, "I don't feel like it anymore."

"No, I'm not thirsty, thank you," he replied, still staring at Yamcha.

I bit my lip, my shoulders slumping. With parents like Vegeta and Bulma, it was understandable that Trunks would have a bit of a bad temper, sometimes. I just wished these guys had have realised a little sooner.

"I'm sorry for my brother's behavior," Tarble said quietly to me, "he's always had a bit of a short fuse." He frowned, glancing at Trunks, "I think it's genetic," he added, "although it seems to have missed me. Hopefully it doesn't get your children."

"Tarble," Trunks said, making the small Saiyan sit up, wide eyed, "don't be stupid."

"I'm not, Nephew," Tarble replied, "I'm just trying to console your poor mate. Vegeta isn't the nicest person around, you know that."

Trunks sighed, running a hand through his hair. Suddenly, I realised just how exhausted he was. "Yeah, I know," he said, "I know. Look, I'm sorry Yamcha, if I seem a little rude. I've been up for Kami knows how many hours, and I'm a little on edge." He closed his mouth, his jaw tensing for a second, before speaking again, "I'd appreciate it, however, if you refrained from making such comments about my father while you're here, in my house. Vegeta is part of the Briefs family now."

"Oh yes," Mrs. Briefs piped up, smiling like crazy, "I'm just so happy to have Vegeta home, he's such a sweet man! And so handsome too! Oh, Bulma was just so lucky to meet a real prince charming!" At this she broke off into giggles and got to her feet, heading out into the kitchen in order to fetch another round of refreshments. Trunks, meanwhile, had gained a little colour in his cheeks too. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him- as nice as Mrs. Briefs was, she sure could be embarrassing.

"Where did Nana go?" I asked, suddenly realizing that she wasn't in the room.

"She went down to the indoor gardens," Trunks replied, now sipping at my soda, "Goku contacted her… I think she wanted to talk to him alone."

"My Grandpa?" I asked, more out of surprise than in expectation of an answer. "Wow." I sighed, playing with my jeans once more. Poor Nana, and my poor Grandpa. It made me feel so angry, to think that his life had been snuffed out by some pathetic heart virus, especially considering that he was so strong. He of all people had deserved to live longer than that.

At least in the alternate timeline- the one Trunks had created when he traveled to the past- Trunks had prolonged his life for a while. Still, he had died by the hands of that Cell creature, and had chosen not to return. I didn't really understand his reasoning, from what Trunks had explained to me, but maybe it was just meant to be. It did always seem like the ones who died young became the greatest legends of all.

"What's wrong, Pan?" came my mother's voice, and I looked up to see her walk into the room, followed by my father. She took the seat that my Nana had previously occupied, and my father went to sit beside Trunks.

"I was just thinking, about how Trunks went back to the past in the time machine Bulma made…"

"Wait," Tien began, "Bulma made a time machine?"

At this, Trunks went into a detailed explanation of his travels to the past, and how he had actually met everyone before. Although Bulma remained missing from the room, Vegeta appeared in the doorway, listening in on the story.

"So wait," Krillin asked after Trunks had told them everything, including the battle with Cell, "you said you gave Goku the heart medicine three years before the androids came? But, were you even alive back then?"

"No," Trunks replied, "No, I had to keep my identity a secret, especially from my parents. I didn't want to jeopardise my existence, but I needed to give Goku ample warning before he got sick. You guys gave me quite a lot of flak, for hiding who I was," he chuckled.

"But Trunks…" I began trailing off. I bit my lip, telling myself I was just being stupid.

"What? What's bothering you, Panda?"

"Well… do you… do you think _I_ exist now, in that timeline? Because… I mean, circumstances are different…"

I looked up at Trunks, to see he had gone deathly pale, his eyes widening in shock. "Oh… oh shit," he said breathlessly, "Oh no… oh _no_!"

I felt quite sick myself. I deduced from his reaction that the answer was no, I didn't. I didn't really know what to think, knowing that my life wasn't there, in that dimension.

"It isn't relevant," Vegeta said, gaining Trunks' attention, "your girl is here, that's all that matters. The child that is you in that alternate timeline may very well turn out to be completely different from you. Even if she was to exist- and from what you say there's nothing to prove that she won't- she may not in any way be attracted to the version of you that is back there. Just forget about past timelines. What's done is done, it can't be fixed."

"But, I could go back again…" Trunks began.

"And what?" Vegeta asked, "Tell Kakarot's brat that he has to go and impregnate some random female he's never heard of? How will you ensure that a pregnancy results from that? And that it is this girl, here," Vegeta paused, gesturing at me, "that is the end result. You know the odds, out off all of those sperm, of it being her that…"

"All right, that's enough Dr. Vegeta," Bulma cut in, "we don't need a sex Ed lesson. Trunks," she sighed, "Trunks, sweetheart. You just have to leave it."

"Leave it? _Leave_ it!" he yelled, " You send me back into the past, and I screw up everything back there, and now you ask me to leave it!"

"There's nothing you can do!" she yelled back, "your father's right! You know that! You wouldn't be here now- here for Pan now- if you didn't go back and train like you did. You would have been killed by the androids, just like everyone else!"

"No I wouldn't have!" Trunks yelled back, standing up to face her, "I could have taken them on! Why didn't you ever think about this? About all the people that might not be born because of your bloody machine!"

"Because I was thinking about all the lives that would be saved!" She screamed, "Because I was thinking about _you_, and how you deserved to have a father there, alive! Because I was thinking about me! I deserve to have Vegeta here with me!"

Bulma paused, taking in a much-needed breath. "Trunks," she croaked, her voice now hoarse from yelling, "Trunks, you would have died, before you had the chance to train and get stronger, had you not gone to the past. So just think about it. Yes, maybe Pan doesn't exist back then. But if you didn't go back, you wouldn't be here now, so you would have never been with Pan anyway. At least now, the you in this timeline- in our world- gets to be with her."

Trunks shook his head, his eyebrows tight in a frown, his lips curled back in a snarl. "No," he said slowly, "I need some fresh air." With that he stormed over to the glass door leading on to the balcony- wrenching it open with a bang that shattered the glass- and blasted into the air. As the room fell completely silent, I got up, moving to follow Trunks.

"No," Piccolo said.

"But… I need to talk to him about this," I said meekly, my voice shaking.

"You need to let him cool down first," Piccolo replied, "he's far to angry to talk right now. It won't do either of you any good."

I looked out into the sky, in the direction where Trunks had flown. He was already too far out of sight, but I could sense his ki; he was in his Super Saiyan state now. Looking back at Piccolo, I frowned. Who was this guy to tell me what to do in my relationship?

"I'm only saying it for your own good, Pan," he said sternly, "you need to leave that man alone right now."

"Piccolo's right," my father added softly, "Trunks will come back, this is his home after all. Just let him clear his head."

"But Bulma," my mother said, a worried expression crossing her face, "do you actually think Panny might not exist, in that timeline?"

"You tell me, Videl," Bulma replied, "You're the one who made her. Do you think you'd have met Gohan back then, if there were no androids? Would you have slept with him?"

My mother didn't answer, and I was glad. Really, I didn't want to know.

***

Luckily for Bulma, she was used to having windows smashed around Capsule Corporation. "Considering the fact that I have a Super Saiyan for a son, I'm used to glass being broken all of the time," she laughed, as the cleaning bots came in, bringing a fresh pane of glass, "they'll clean this all up."

I frowned, sensing Trunks' ki again. He was still a Super Saiyan, but his ki fluctuated now; he was firing ki blasts from what I could tell. Thankfully, he had gone to one of the desert regions, to a place where we trained often.

"Pan," my mother said sternly, and I automatically shrank lower in my seat, dreading what was coming. "I'm really disappointed in you, sneaking aboard Trunks' spaceship like that when I told you that you couldn't go."

"But, it was my idea to go to New Namek in the first place," I said, pouting, "it's not fair if I don't get to go along. And it was really cool there, mum, I got to meet lots of new people."

"And you spent two weeks alone in a spaceship with one bed with your boyfriend," my mother replied, "I don't agree with that. Do you, Chi Chi?"

I blushed, mortified that my mother would bring that up in front of everyone. Looking at my nana, I tried to plead for her to be nice with my eyes, hoping that she would be merciful.

"Well," Nana began, "Pan is still very young, but she's smart, Videl. She knows what she wants, and I don't think she'd let a boy force her into anything." At that, she gave my mother a meaningful look, "besides, Goku and I traveled around on our own before we were married, when we went looking for the Bansho fan. Of course, we were engaged, but I was still about her age, and I didn't let Goku do anything… anyway, the way Trunks acts, those two are as good as engaged, I think."

"What do you mean, 'as good as engaged?'" my mother asked, frowning at Nana, "She's not even seventeen yet!"

"Her birthday is in two days, Videl," Nana replied coolly, "besides, all I meant is that Trunks seems very much in love with her. And he's not a bad choice, you know all those women's magazines have declared him one of the most eligible bachelors around."

"Yes I know that…"

"He's rich!" my Nana continued, and I began to again wish that I could be swallowed up by the floor, "and he's handsome, and strong enough to protect her. Saiyan men make very nice husbands, if I may say so myself."

"You just want Pan to marry Trunks so you can get in on the Capsule Corp. fortune, don't you Chi Chi?" Bulma asked with a laugh, shaking her head, "Kami, woman, you know I'm always offering to help pay for your bills anyway. I have more than enough money to spare! Why don't you just take what I offer, rather than going about it like this?"

"That's not why I want them to marry!" Nana retorted, "its just that they seem so good together. The fact that your son will one day be the richest man on this planet- if everything goes well- is just one of those small good points that Videl should take into consideration."

I rolled my eyes as Bulma and Nana broke into a fit of laughter. Money was never the reason why I was attracted to Trunks, although it was reassuring to know that I'd never have to worry about it at all.

"Videl," Bulma said once she had quieted down, "Saiyan men tend to be fiercely loyal, once they've found the right girl. They may go off fighting, but they always come back eventually. Trunks is the same, I can tell. He's not ever going to let Pan go, now that he has her. Whether you like it or not, she's already his."

I leaned back into the couch, raising my eyebrows in surprise. No one had ever told me anything like that before, but thinking about it, it made sense. Trunks was always so protective…

"I still think Pan needs to be punished for disobeying me," my mother was saying, "Gohan agrees with me."

I looked at my father, shocked by this revelation. Turning my gaze back to my mother, I frowned. He'd only been back a few hours, and already she was turning him against me? No fair.

"Gohan," she said, smiling sweetly at him, "since you are her father, after all, I think you should hand out the punishment. I'm sure you could think of something good; grounding her, making her do community service, something like that. Go ahead, _Dad_."

He frowned, obviously not too pleased to be handed the job. "All right," he finally said, turning to me, "I'm going to punish you by giving you the hardest fight you've ever had in your entire life." I blinked, processing the information. He was going to punish me… by fighting? But I liked fighting; it was hardly a bad thing.

"Gohan!" my mother said angrily, "that's treating her! She likes fighting; she comes home beaten up every weekend! And that's one of those things I don't like about Trunks, the man beats her!"

"He does not beat me!" I replied, "He _trains_ me, there's a difference, mum!"

"It's not going to be like her usual training," my father stated coolly, "I said it would be the hardest fight she's ever had. I'm fairly certain Trunks will have been going easy on her, but I won't. It'll be good for her, I'm sure she won't want to repeat the experience, but she'll get a lot stronger, too. I can't ban her from seeing Trunks, they'll just meet up with each other regardless, and I'm not going to put myself between the guy who destroyed the androids and his girlfriend. I don't want to fight Trunks like that, he's my friend."

"She's your daughter!"

"I know, so I'm going to give her some good old fashioned training, just like Piccolo did to me when I was a kid. Except that I'm a Super Saiyan," he added with a grin.

"I don't believe in things like corporal punishment, Gohan," my mother replied.

"Yeah, well, Pan's a Saiyan. This is what Saiyans do. Don't worry, I won't _kill_ her," my father said.

By now I was feeling just a little nervous. Was he serious? How hard could this training actually be? The Saiyan part of me was eager for the fight, but I couldn't help the little human in me from feeling very worried at the prospect.

"How about we do this in seven days?" he said, turning to me, "I suggest you give your body a rest before then, you'll need the energy. And all of you guys are welcome to come watch," he added, speaking to everyone.

"I'll be there," Piccolo said, "I might even give you a little help, if you want."

I shivered, looking at the huge Namek, who towered at the ridiculous height of eight feet or so. I began to get the idea of what my father was planning to do; he would simply humiliate me in front of all of his friends. It probably was the only effective punishment you could give to someone as strong as me, and I'm sure he knew as well as I did that Saiyans seemed to be hardwired to care greatly about their pride. So making me feel like a fool, and at the same time training me, was probably a good idea.

The thought of that alone was enough to make me want to cry.

"Look, mum," I said, "I'm really sorry. I won't do anything so stupid again, okay? I don't really think I need to be punished, really. I promise I'll be good."

Vegeta laughed, his husky voice startling me. "What, are you afraid of Gohan, girl? Please don't tell me you want to back out of a challenge, only weaklings with no honour do that."

"N… no, of course not," I stuttered, "I'll fight. And I'm stronger than you think, anyway."

"Well, we'll just have to see about that," my father said, looking at me intently, "for your sake, I hope you are."

***

As night descended upon the world, I began to get increasingly worried about Trunks. His ki had lowered now, and I wondered how long he was planning to stay out there for. The deserts got deathly cold at night in the winter, and I was worried that he'd freeze.

Sick of waiting, I stood up abruptly, heading for the glass door.

"Pan," my father said, "just leave him."

"No, he needs me."

I was about to step out onto the balcony when I felt someone grip my arm tightly. I turned to see my father standing over me, his face serious.

"Let me go!" I hissed at him, "I have to go!"

He opened his mouth to say something, but I wasn't in the mood to listen. As he grabbed me, I had realised that for the first time in my life, there were actually people around me that had the strength to stop me from doing what I wanted, and weren't afraid to use it.

That thought both angered and upset me, so I did the first thing that came naturally to me.

I fought back.

Before he realised, I had raised my ki, twisting my arm out of his grip and kneeing him in the gut. I jumped off the balcony and flew into the night, as fast as my body would take me. I hoped he wouldn't pursue me, as I didn't really have any way of fighting off a Super Saiyan if it came down to it. I would though, if I had to.

Bulma had said nothing would keep a Saiyan man from his woman.

Well, nothing was going to keep this Saiyan woman from her man.

* * *

**A/N:** I just want to point out that Gohan's not some crazy guy that likes beating up girls, he's actually reluctant to punish Pan (he just met her!) and he knows she enjoys fighting, so this will be kinda like a treat for her. When I was thinking of ways to punish Pan, I realised nothing would really work because she can get out of so many situations with ease if she wanted to. So having a really tough day of training sounds about right to me (perhaps the martial arts equivalent of doing detention lol).

Also, I've put some polls on my profile. I'd appreciate it if you answered them, the results will be useful to me (for all of my stories, not just this one). If you have further comments on the polls, feel free to PM me.


	19. Trunks: Stars

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

**A/N:** This chapter is from Trunks' POV.

Trunks: Stars

The cliff cracked, lines spreading across the brown surface like a spider web. I pulled my fist out from the rock, then rammed it in again. This time, the cliff collapsed.

Sometimes the only thing you can do when you're mad is hit something.

I jumped back, watching as the whole rock formation came down with a bang. Sometimes I wondered what humans did when they were mad; it's not like they could fly off, throw ki blasts and punch granite without hurting themselves.

Kami, I'm acting like a child.

I sit down on the ground at this point, letting go of my ki, and phasing out of my Super Saiyan state. I'm surprised Pan hasn't followed me here already, but I suppose some of the guys told her not to. I guess they would be right; it's probably not a good idea to disturb a Super Saiyan in the midst of a hissy fit.

Trust Pan, of course, to think about everything in detail. It never occurred to me to ask King Kai for directions to New Namek, and it certainly never occurred to me that Pan's existence might be jeopardised in the past timeline.

It makes me sick, just thinking about it. Pan means the world to me, and now I realise I've practically murdered her inadvertently in that timeline, by changing the events that happened. I still don't know what possessed Gohan to be with Videl at such a young age, but I've got a feeling it would be to do with all the deaths of the other fighters.

Grief can make you do some crazy things. I would know.

I laugh to myself, leaning back against a boulder. I shouldn't have yelled at mum like that either, especially considering that she's right. I would have been killed by the androids here, had I not traveled to the past and trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. But trading Pan's existence, just for my own life… How could I ever do that?

Of course, I never thought of it. Now I realise there's probably plenty of people alive in this time, because their parents met in some situation that was affected by the androids presence here.

In the other timeline, there are probably plenty alive who would be dead, had the androids not been destroyed. But without the androids there, so many people may not do the same things as their counterparts in my own timeline, and as a result, so many people may not ever be born.

What a mess.

I can't imagine my life without Pan, and it pains me to even consider that she might not be around in the other time line. What will the Trunks back there do, without his own Panda?

Perhaps my father is right, and the me back there is different. As far as I know, that Trunks is going to grow up with Vegeta living at Capsule Corp 24/7. That would have to make some difference to his personality, making that Trunks more like an identical twin, rather than the same person as me.

_If_ Pan does exist in that timeline, will she even be the same? Her life here, with the androids, not knowing Gohan, and the hard time she had before knowing she was a Saiyan; all of that must have influenced her personality. She probably wouldn't be the same.

All this thinking is making my head hurt.

I close my eyes and sigh, not wanting to go back yet. I've pretty much made a lousy first impression on everyone, insulting Yamcha, yelling at my mother, breaking the window. I wish I could rewind the day and start all over again.

I look back up at the sky; it's starting to go dark now; the very first stars glimmering. I sigh, unable to believe that just this morning, I was out there.

And that perhaps, that's where I belong.

Not that I don't consider Earth my home. I was born here, I've grown up here, and until yesterday, Earth was all I knew. But my whole life, I've been aware of how different I was to the others here.

It isn't easy being half alien.

My mother never sought to hide that fact from me. Although she never really described my father in great detail, she did tell me he was from another planet- a fact that I was required to keep secret. Luckily, I was an intelligent child; if I didn't understand everything, I at least understood what being part Saiyan meant.

And I always had Gohan to guide me.

Sometimes, when I was a child, I would sneak outside, and lay on the roof of Capsule Corp, looking at the stars. I knew what my father looked like, from the few photos of him, and I had seen photos of Goku, too. That, coupled with Gohan's description of what Saiyans were like, was enough to allow me to imagine what my father's planet would have been like, what his people had been like.

His home.

And it always made me sad, looking up at the stars, knowing that although out there in the cold, lifeless space there burnt a star that was the sun of my father's world, the planet that once orbited that star had ceased to exist, and along with it so many possibilities.

Worst of all, though, was the knowledge that even if that planet had survived, I would not belong there either. I am not a Saiyan, not in the same way my father is. I can fight, I can do many things, thanks to his blood, but I don't have the same thirst for battle as he does- I have to force myself to train some days- and I certainly don't look like a Saiyan.

I wonder what that Saiyan King would have said, that time I went in the Pendulum Room, had I told him I was his grandson. Would he have denied my resemblance because of my blue eyes and strange- lavender coloured, though I hate to admit it- hair?

More so, what did my father think of me now, when he saw me today? Did he think I was a fine representation of his bloodline, from the Royal House of Vegeta, or did he think me some pathetic pansy-boy?

It took me until I died to gain my father's recognition in the past timeline. I only hope that with this Vegeta, I won't have to resort to such drastic measures. Surely living on the same small planet as Goku for the past twenty years has softened him up a bit?

I hope so. As much as I'm happy to have my father back, I'm dreading the idea of sharing the gravity rooms with him. I know we have two now- one in the spaceship, one connected to the house- but I also know that he has a tendency to break the 'pathetic Earth technology' without a second thought.

Perhaps I should refrain from telling him that I am as much a scientist as a businessman, and that I can repair the machines with ease. The last thing I need is my father hounding me all day to do his bidding, when I have so much else to do.

Namely, running a company.

That's perhaps one of the main reasons I've been on edge, today. Its Friday now, Pan's birthday is on Sunday -I think she's forgotten herself- and then it's back to the endless cycle of work and training.

Plus, I can kiss goodbye the benefits I've had these last two weeks, sleeping every night next to a woman with the body of a goddess, hearing her sigh in the night, feeling her warmth, her soft…

"Get a hold of yourself," I mumble to myself. I can sense Pan's ki now, at it's full, and know she's flying out here. I don't want her arriving to find me already excited, she'd give me that funny, knowing look again that makes me want to hide under a rock in shame. Sometimes I can't help it though, she's so damn beautiful.

Actually, there are plenty of other words to describe her, to describe what I want to do to her, but I actually do feel a bit ashamed, if I think about it. Especially with Gohan here now.

I shudder at that last thought, and any arousal I had is gone. I _really_ don't want to piss Gohan off, when it comes to Pan. I have no intention to make my Super Saiyan, almost-father-in-law angry. Gohan may seem timid normally, but in battle he'd scare the shit out of even the strongest fighters.

Pan will be cold when she gets here, I realise. She's never noticed herself, but I actually run a few degrees hotter than a human does, as does my father, and Gohan. It's one of the few Saiyan things that I've noticed Pan hasn't inherited, instead taking after her human side.

I'd point it out, except that I don't want to confuse or upset her further. I know well enough what it's like to not be wholly something, to have conflicting values to live up to, to neither belong as one creature or the other.

For Pan, I think it may be even worse. It's not just the fact that she didn't even know of her true heritage for most of her life, it's also because she isn't like anyone else who has ever existed. She's not half Saiyan, she's quarter, and none of us really knows what that means. I'm reluctant to tell her to train so hard, because I don't want to get the idea of being a Super Saiyan in her head.

Because she might not be able to do it.

Long before I can see her, I can already hear her movement through the air, and can tell that she's slowing down, ready to make a graceful landing.

"Trunks," she calls softly, landing just a few feet away from me, "are you okay?"

"Yeah," I reply, as she sits down beside me, tentatively wrapping her arms around my middle. I pull her closer, breathing in her scent, and burying my head in her soft hair. "Did I scare you?" I whisper, kissing her ear.

"No," she replies, but I can tell from her small hesitation that she's lying.

"Panda."

"Okay," she admits, "maybe a little. I don't like it when you yell… Saiyans are pretty scary, when you think about it, huh?"

I chuckle, pulling her onto my lap. "Yeah, I think we can be. I'm sorry I scared you."

Pan turns around to face me, kissing me softly, before sighing and nuzzling into my neck the same as she's done a thousand times before. "I don't know how your mum does it," she whispers, "standing up to your dad like that. He's… he's scarier in person, y'know… I didn't think he would be so… so… I don't know, even though you told me about all the bad things he does."

"You feel like your drowning in his eyes when he stares at you, eh?" I ask, and she nods.

"Yeah," she hesitates again, kissing my neck.

"What?"

"Well," she says slowly, "sometimes you do that too… make me drown in your eyes. But you do it in a good way, like I could get lost in you, and I'll be safe forever. It's just weird, seeing him do it, 'cause it's like you, except, I wouldn't want to get lost in his eyes." She shudders, holding me tighter. "I'm sorry," she adds after a moment, "he's your dad… I don't wanna sound mean. It's not that I don't like him, it's just…"

"It's okay," I say, rubbing her back, "If you weren't scared of him, I'd be worried, Panda. Fear is a natural thing, a healthy thing. It tells you when to run… and you've relied on those instincts before, eh?" She nods, and I continue, "you're meant to be scared of my father, he's a dangerous man. My mother is just plain crazy… and somehow, she understands him. She isn't in danger, but if anyone else called him a jerk they'd probably lose a limb, at least."

"I called him ignorant," she whispers, "it just slipped out. I don't even really think that, I know he's smart, and a prince."

"Hmm, but he knows you're my girl," I reply, looking into her blue eyes, framed by their thick, black lashes, "he wouldn't attack you. He knows I'd go crazy."

"Would he be scared of you, do you think?"

"No. Even if he were, he would never show it. But it's better not to cause trouble. He's smart, he won't touch you. He may be scary, but he does have some honour. He's like Tarble, just far more… lethal."

Pan sighs, then begins to hum, some tune from the radio, although I've forgotten the name of the song. She has a sweet voice, and I sigh too, relaxing further, despite our cold setting. Sometimes, she even sings me to sleep, on those bad nights. I don't know what I'd do without her.

"I beat up my dad," she says quietly, her long fingers playing with the fabric of my jumper.

"What?"

She sighs again, kissing my neck. "Piccolo told me not to come after you, and then my dad said so too, and then he grabbed my arm. I don't know… you know how I kinda just snap sometimes?"

"Yep," I reply, recalling a dozen times in training where the fire has suddenly blazed in her eyes, and she's attacked with ruthless precision.

"Yeah, well, that happened, and I pulled my arm away, and kneed him in the gut. And then I flew here."

"That's why you were flying all out?"

"Mmm hmm," she replies.

We stay silent after that, staring up at the stars. I raise my ki a little, enough to keep her warm.

"It's like _The Lion King_," she says eventually.

"_The Lion King_? What's that got to do with anything?"

"The stars," she replies softly, "when I was a little girl, I'd look up at those stars, and think that maybe I had some family up there, like how Mufasa tells Simba that he'll always be there."

I laugh, holding her even tighter. "I used to think about Saiyans, looking at those stars. I still do, actually."

"Yeah, well I didn't know about Saiyans back then. But I think there is something magical about stars," she giggles then, shaking her head, "I used to imagine, in thunderstorms, that one of the clouds might materialize into some dead ancestor, and then that talking monkey would appear, just like in the movie."

"You're joking."

"No! No, I'm serious. I had an overactive imagination. And I always liked thunderstorms, and monkeys. I never realised I was one."

"Don't let my father hear you talk like that," I reply. 'Monkey' is probably the most derogatory term you could call a Saiyan.

"I know, I'm sorry," she replies, "but I always wonder now, what it would be like."

"Be like to what?"

"Be like to transform." I stiffen, and she looks me in the eye. "Into a giant ape," she clarifies, "not a Super Saiyan."

"Oh, yeah, I wonder that too. But I'd be worried, Gohan and Goku lost themselves to it, they just became bloodthirsty monsters."

"You don't think I can be a Super Saiyan, do you?" she asks quietly, after another silence.

"I just don't know," I reply honestly, "I don't know if… if…"

"If a quarter-Saiyan could do it," she finishes for me.

"Yeah. Or a female."

She looks back at me again, a small frown creasing her brow. "That's a bit sexist, don't you think?"

"Well… maybe," I say, beginning to squirm under her sharp gaze, "but, like I said, we just don't know. Before your grandfather did it, most Saiyans just thought it was a legend, I think. You're just… so small. I can't imagine you getting really buff."

She laughs, nuzzling my neck once more. "I actually don't get that," she says after a while, "how I'm not already buff. But I'm glad; I wouldn't wanna look like one of those female body builders. It must be a Saiyan thing, do you think? That the girls don't get that buff looking, even though we're strong?"

"Probably," I reply, "I've never really thought about it. I'll ask my father, he'll know."

"You know," she says softly, tracing the line of my lips, "that I am me, and you are you, and we are unique. Because you changed that timeline, the Trunks there won't be the same. And I couldn't love anyone like this, but _you_."

"But you, Panda, you have to live…"

"I do!" she says, cutting me off, "I'm right here, aren't I? I exist here. I exist, and I love you, and that's all that matters. I won't let you feel guilty over anything, Trunks. Promise me that you won't."

I look into her beautiful face, the one that's the centre of my world, the lone star in my endless night, and lie.

"I promise."

***

I wait until everyone's asleep, and sneak down into mum's private lab. There, the two capsules of the time machines- both now cleaned up, perfect as the first time I ever saw the original- sit. In the same capsule case, sits the two time machine chargers, the objects that give the time machines their power.

It will take eight months to charge the time machines, but that's okay. I know a place where I can leave them, safe from any disturbance: Dr Gero's former lab.

I'll take them there tomorrow, on the pretext that I train in the mountains. No one will ever know. I hate lying to Pan, but I have to do this. For her, and for my own conscience.

In eight months, when the machines are ready, I'll use one to get to the past timeline, keeping the other machine with me, just in case.

I screwed up the past timeline. Now I've got to fix it.

For her, my only star.

* * *

**A/N:** Just a short chapter, I was originally planning to write more, but this felt like the right place to end it. Also, I'm not going to jump eight months ahead right now (if any of you were worried).

Also, the polls on my forum… I got them working! This is going to sound really stupid, but I hadn't clicked the 'show this poll on your profile' button. I'm quite embarrassed about how idiotic that is (I've never been any good when it comes to websites *sighs*). So please go to my profile now if you haven't already and vote :D


	20. Precious Gifts

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Precious Gifts

My parents needed to learn how to share.

"Look, Gohan, Pan always spends her birthday here at home. It's tradition," my mother said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, but that's because it's always just been you and your father," my dad replied, "But now I'm here, and my mum, and my grandfather, and all the other guys too! We all wanna spend time with Pan on her birthday, which is why I just think it's better if she spends her birthday at Mt Paozu," he reasoned, mimicking my mother's stance.

"No," Mum replied sternly, "my father doesn't want to travel for hours out to some back country."

"Back country? Mt Paozu's a great place, better than this tiny house."

"Well _maybe_ if I had someone paying child support like they're meant to, then I wouldn't have to live in such a 'tiny house' as you put it. As if you can talk, you're staying with your mother!"

"I just got back from the dead!" My father exclaimed, "What, did you expect me to already have an apartment organized? I think you're being a bit ridiculous."

"_Ridiculous_?" Uh oh, Mum was getting really annoyed now. "Now you listen, and you listen good, Gohan Son. I've spent seventeen years, _seventeen years_ taking care of Pan. On My Own! If I've ever borrowed money off anyone, I've repaid it. I've worked three jobs at a time some years, and still been there to take care of my daughter. I made sure she survived during all those attacks when so many others were killed, I home-schooled her when her local Primary was destroyed, and you have the nerve to just waltz on in here and take over! I won't let you! She's _my daughter_, and I won't have you walking all over me!"

"I'm not…"

"You are! You look down at me! You and your mother, and Bulma and all your friends! Just because I didn't know Pan was a Saiyan doesn't mean I'm stupid, Gohan! _You_ should have told me about yourself years ago! _Please_, forgive me for not realizing that my daughter is somehow destined to be a fighter," she added sarcastically.

"Videl, please, I already said I was sorry about not telling you. I was having a hard time," my father begged, realizing a little too late that he had said the wrong things.

"We all were!" my mother replied. "My mother died too! You weren't the only one having a hard time! How would you like it if you found out you were pregnant, and the only person who had been keeping you sane never returned? You made my life a living hell."

My father's shoulders slumped at this, all the energy seeming to drain out of him. "You're right," he said softly, "Kami, I'm so sorry, Videl. I really am. I wish… I wish things could've been different… Not that I don't wish you had… _we_ had Pan, just that maybe we could have had her… I don't know… together."

My mother nodded, biting her lip and placing her hands in her pockets. They remained silent after that, neither of them daring to look at each other.

"Pan," my mother finally said, turning around and looking up, frowning as she found me watching them while I was standing at the top of the stairs. "I told you to go to your room, it's rude to eavesdrop, y'know."

"But I can't help it, I hear everything from my room anyway," I replied, "So I might as well watch too."

She rolled her eyes at that, and my father grinned a little, scratching his head in the all-too-familiar habit.

"Where do you want to spend your birthday?" Mum asked, breaking the silence again. I paused, thinking.

"How about… um… the beach?" I asked.

"It's winter, Pan."

"Yeah, but we could go to Master Roshi's island. Grandpa wouldn't mind, would he? He likes the beach, and I'm sure he'd be happy to meet Master Roshi, considering the old master is so famous among martial arts circles and all."

My mother looked at me, then over at my father. He grinned at her, giving a little shrug.

"All right," she conceded, nodding, "Master Roshi's it is."

***

A short time later I was sitting in my room, catching up on the homework I had missed, when I heard a quiet tap at my door.

My father came in slowly, looking around the room with a shy smile on his face. "Hey," he said, shutting the door quietly behind him, "I wanted to talk to you."

I nodded, patting the space beside me on the bed. He crossed the room, taking a seat and flashing me a nervous smile, before looking out the window.

"So this is your room?" he asked after a long silence that thankfully hadn't felt too awkward. I was glad to note that my dad seemed to have a sort of calming effect on me, as if sitting beside him made me feel like everything would always be okay.

"Yeah. We've lived here for most of my life," I replied. "We had to evacuate a few times because of the androids, but the place is still standing."

He nodded again, picking up a bright blue Cookie Monster toy that happened to be sitting on the bed. "I recognise this from your baby videos," he murmured, "you were a cute baby."

I giggled a little, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I'm sorry about yesterday," I said suddenly, "sometimes, I… when I get mad…"

"It's okay," he replied, smiling down at me, a mixture of wonder and pride in his eyes. "I understand, you wanted to see Trunks, and when I tried to stop you, you just snapped. It used to happen to me all the time."

I blushed, looking down at my lap. I had fallen asleep in Trunks' arms the night before, and had only woken up in my mother's plane a few hours later; and had not had a chance to apologise about kneeing my father in the gut.

"Can I?" my father asked, his hand hovering near my face. I nodded, and sat still as he stroked my hair and traced the lines of my face. "I can't believe you're real," he murmured, a sad smile playing on his lips, "I don't deserve to be your father, with all the silly things I've done."

I blinked away the threat of tears, and smiled back at him as best as I could. Not knowing what else to say, I opted for putting my arms around him in a slightly awkward hug, leaning my head against his strong chest.

"I'm glad you're here, Dad."

"So am I," he whispered, "so am I."

***

Grandpa Hurcule was going to fly himself and mum in a private plane over to Roshi's island. He invited me to travel with him, but I declined, opting to fly there myself.

A few months ago, I had slowly introduced Grandpa Hurcule to the fact that I wasn't exactly a normal human being. Of course, he already had some idea; he was there when I was born with a tail, and he had known about the various incidents that occurred in my childhood, when I had displayed more strength than ought to be possible.

Still, the revelation that I could fly had shocked him considerably. Seeing that he was a former martial artist himself- although nothing like the warriors I knew- he had seen the videos made at previous martial arts tournaments, in which some of the warriors had flown, including my other grandfather. However, Grandpa Hurcule had always dismissed the flying, as well as the ki blasts, as cheap tricks, stating that the old martial arts tournaments were staged, and performed by actors.

I had been reluctant to talk to Grandpa about the matter at all, but after two months of knowing that I was a Saiyan, I had grown sick of keeping secrets. It was hard enough hiding who I was from the rest of the world; I didn't want to have to hide myself from my own family.

So I had confronted him, first with the knowledge I had that he was in fact a former World Martial Arts Champion. He had explained that it had been my mother's idea to keep that information from me, lest I become a fighter. I had laughed at that, and dutifully informed him that fighting did, in fact, run through _both_ sides of my family, and that I was no exception to the rule.

Having told Grandpa that Goku Son, another former martial arts champion, was my paternal grandfather, I went on to explain that both Goku and his son Gohan- my father- were dead, but that my grandmother remained alive. And after that revelation, I had finally told him that I was dating Trunks Briefs, that I had been trained in martial arts by a number of different masters, and that I'd learnt how to fly.

I'd left it until the next weekend to show him ki blasts, and the fact that I could run faster in cars. After that, I gave him plenty of time to get used to the idea, before finally hitting him with the bombshell that my ancestors were not actually from Earth.

I had been expecting him to panic, but at this final revelation my grandfather had remained perfectly calm, telling me after all he had seen me do he would expect anything. _'Besides'_ he had said, _'you're still my little Pan, right? Just as long as you don't go flying off to any other planets and forget all about me.'_

So at least for today, my seventeenth birthday, I didn't have to worry about Grandpa Hurcule being surprised by the overly powerful warriors that were expected at my birthday party. I wasn't actually sure who was coming myself, my dad had told me the night before that Krillin and Yamcha would definitely be there, and that Vegeta definitely would not.

As I flew over endless ocean I sensed Trunks' ki close by, and slowed down to meet him. Within a minute he was beside me, and I increased my speed again- not too fast, but enough to be both quick and comfortable.

"Morning birthday girl," he called, grinning at me, "can I give you your first present now?"

"Oooh, what is it?" I asked, a huge grin spreading across my face.

"This." Before I had a chance to react, he had flown up under me, wrapping his arms around me so that our bodies were pressed tight together. In shock, I automatically stopped flying, and would have plummeted to the ground had Trunks not been carrying me. He merely chuckled, increasing his grip and acting completely nonchalant as he flew upside down, carrying me, with his lips pressed hungrily against my own.

"Wh… whoa," I breathed as he finally pulled his lips away, "I didn't think you could do this kinda thing mid flight."

Trunks bellowed out a laugh, flipping over and picking me up in one fluid motion, so that I was being carried the way he used to do when we had first started dating. "I can do anything," he whispered in my ear, "anything for you, Panda bear."

I blushed and giggled, nuzzling into his neck and taking in his scent, which I happened to think was the best smell in the world. "I do love you," I murmured to him, "and that was a very nice present."

"Hmm? Oh, I thought you'd like it," he replied casually, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smile, "and I love you too, my darling."

"No Super Saiyan today?" I asked, running my fingers through his fine hair, which happened to be flying back from his face in the wind.

"Do you want me to transform?" he asked, one eyebrow raised, "you have a thing for Super Saiyans, hmm? Is that it?"

"No," I giggled, "you just normally transform when you fly, that's all."

"Well, to be honest, I kinda want to delay getting there for as long as I can, without it being too obvious. If I could have it my way, I'd make sure I had you all to myself for the whole day… but as it is, I know I have to share," he said, kissing my forehead.

I smiled, kissing his neck slowly. "I'll make sure you have some more time alone with me today," I whispered in his ear, "I'd like very much if you could give me a little more of that birthday present you were showing me just before."

"I think that can be arranged," he replied, his voice slightly huskier than usual. "Like I said, I'll do _anything_ for you."

We continued on in peaceful silence after that, although something was nagging me at the back of my mind, something I had meant to ask Trunks about.

"Oh!" I exclaimed as I remembered. "How are your parents? I mean, are they… um… ah… together?" I blushed as Trunks looked at me, his eyebrows raised in amusement.

"They are very strange," he reported, "they fight all day, then fu… then do other things at night."

"Oh. How do you know that?" I asked, blushing even more than before.

Pink appeared on Trunks' cheeks, and he looked out towards the horizon. "Why are you so interested?" he asked. When I shrugged, he rolled his eyes, mumbling something about being ashamed. "I just know, okay." When I gave him a completely dissatisfied look, he sighed, "Well, I stayed up late last night catching up on some work, and when I went to go to bed…" he huffed, his eyebrows knotting together, "well I heard them, and It's so weird, I mean, it's my _mother_. It's disgusting! And it's like my father is flaunting it! Actually, I think he is, because Yamcha's still staying with us."

"Eww," I replied, "I guess sometimes Saiyan hearing can be a curse, huh?"

"Ugh," he snorted in disgust, "they were loud enough any _human_ could hear. Can we talk about something else? Please?"

"Okay. Ooh, I'm going to go stay at Mt Paozu next Saturday night. It should be good."

"So you're getting on good with your dad?" Trunks asked quietly.

"Yeah. How about you, have you talked to my dad much?"

"Yeah, I have," Trunks replied with a grin, "it's been great to catch up with him again. We talked a lot about you."

"You did?" I asked, my voice laced with worry, "What did you talk about? You didn't tell him anything embarrassing, did you?"

"Of course not, Panda," Trunks said with a frown, "I just told him about how talented you are, and smart too. Gohan was really nervous about talking to you, he was worried you resented him for what happened with your mum."

"No way," I replied, "how could I resent him? What happened… well it's either both their fault, or not anyone's fault really… it's just one big mess, but it's not his fault at all that he didn't know about me."

"That's what I told him," Trunks said, rubbing my back. "Don't worry about anything, Panda, your dad thinks you're cool."

"Whatever," I said, kissing Trunks on the neck, "so who do you think will be here today?"

***

"Hey Pan!" Krillin greeted me as we touched down on Roshi's island, "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks!" I replied with a laugh, "It's not really a big deal, though."

"Sure it is," someone replied, and I turned around to see my dad walking towards me, a small wrapped box under his arm, "Happy birthday, Pan," he said with a smile, thrusting the box out to me.

"Dad! You shouldn't have!" I exclaimed, holding the box out to look at it, "You didn't have to get me anything!"

"Of course I did!" he replied, "But really, it's not much at all. I didn't even have to pay for it," he added with a chuckle, scratching his head.

I smiled up at him, giggling a little. "I'm just happy you're here, Dad," I said quietly, before looking down at the small box in my hands. It was beautifully wrapped, with gold dragons patterned across the paper, and a red ribbon tied around it. I bit my lip, willing myself not to cry any time soon. All my life, I'd always wished that I could have both of my parents present on my birthday. Finally now, I could.

I sat down on the grass, and Trunks, Krillin and my father sat down in an impromptu circle around me. Looking up, I saw Piccolo walking towards us, stopping to stand and watch a few feet behind where my dad sat.

"Go ahead," my dad said, and I slowly unraveled the ribbon from the box, then pried open the wrapping, careful not to tear the pretty paper. I pulled the lid off the small red box inside, and peered in with awe.

I recognized it at once as a dragonball, although it seemed much smaller than the one's I had seen on New Namek. Amazed, I picked it up, marveling at the way it warmed instantly in my hand. In the light, I could see that it was the four star ball, the small red stars shining in the light.

"How… how did you get this?"I asked, surprise tainting my voice. Of all the things he could have given me, I was not ever expecting a dragonball.

"With the Dragon Radar," he replied, chuckling, "Trunks let me use it yesterday. I wanted to give you the four star ball. It used to belong to my father's adoptive grandfather, Gohan. He gave it to my dad when my dad was just a little boy, and when I was a kid my dad gave it to me. So I wanted to give it to you… since it kinda belongs in the family."

"Oh, thank you," I breathed, tears welling up in my eyes. "It's the best present you could have gotten me."

"I'm glad you like it," my father replied with a small smile, wiping away a stray tear on my cheek with his thumb, "Happy birthday."

We sat in silent after that, watching the waves lap quietly at the shore.

"It's good to have warm weather for once," Trunks commented, removing his jacket, "I'm glad you chose to come here, Pan. Are you going to swim today, do you think?"

"Definitely!" I replied, "But I think I'll save that till after lunch."

Krillin laughed at that, shaking his head. "You're definitely Goku's granddaughter," he said to me, "where do you put all that food? You'd think that someone who ate as much as you would be as big as a house!"

"Hey!" I said, "It's not my fault!" Turning towards my father, I suddenly realized what had been nagging me about his gift. "How did you know where to find the four star ball?" I asked. "I mean, I know that you had the radar, but that doesn't tell you how many stars each ball has, so how did you know which one to find?"

"I didn't," he replied with a laugh, "I actually found the one star and the six star before I found your one. I left them back at Mt Paozu, I figured maybe they might come in handy sometime anyway."

"I hope not," Trunks replied darkly, "I'm hoping for universal peace from now on. You should wish for that when you blow out your candles, Panda," he added, nudging me softly in the side.

For someone so big, Piccolo moved with amazing silence. I didn't even notice his movements, until he was standing directly behind me, casting a shadow over my body.

"What do you want for your birthday?" he asked gruffly, folding his arms across his chest.

"W… what?" I asked with surprise.

"I won't ask again," he replied, frowning even more than usual, "What do you want me to give you for your birthday? Gohan insisted that I participate in this human tradition, so hurry up and choose."

"But… you don't…"

"Pan," my father cut in, "Piccolo can materialize anything you want- it's a Namek thing. How bout something to do with fighting? Would you like a sword? Or a new gi? Or both?"

"Uh…" I mumbled, quite stunned. Namekians could materialize things? As in make things out of thin air? The idea seemed completely unreal.

"Panda doesn't even have a gi," Trunks answered, "she just fights in shorts and t-shirts. A proper one would look good on her I think, and if she got a sword I could train her in how to use it, since that's my specialty."

"Hmph, all right then," Piccolo grumbled, stretching out one hand towards the ground. Out of nowhere, a dark blue gi appeared, accompanied by a bright orange belt. A thin sword, with blue stones embedded in the hilt, appeared a second later. "Happy birthday," Piccolo said monotonously, "I have training to do. See you at your fight."

"Uh… thank you!" I yelled to his retreating form as he took off into the sky. "He didn't have to get me anything," I mumbled to no one in particular, as I watched his figure disappear from sight.

"Don't worry about it, it's no trouble for Piccolo. He actually did want to give you something, as a thank you for wishing us back. He doesn't like feeling like he has a debt to someone," my dad explained, looking out at the ocean, "Piccolo's really a good guy, he's like… a second father to me," he added quietly.

"He seems… nice," I said, scratching my head. I couldn't really think of the right way to describe Piccolo.

"Ha, nice!" Krillin said with a little laugh. "Don't get me wrong, Piccolo is one of the good guys now, but I wouldn't go as far as to describe him as 'nice.'"

Before I could say anything else, we were interrupted by my nana, who ran out of Kame House towards us.

"Pan!" she yelled, "Happy birthday sweetheart!" I didn't really have any time to react before she had swept me up in a hug, kissing my cheeks and stroking my hair.

"Oh, you're seventeen now!" she exclaimed, "You're growing up so fast!"

"Ah… haha," I said, completely embarrassed by the attention, "I don't think I've changed much since Friday."

"Oh, but seventeen is an important age," she replied, "and you're graduating this year too. That's a big deal. Can you believe it, Gohan? Our Pan is just so smart!"

"Yeah," my dad replied, "but try not to smother her, mum. You can be kinda embarrassing sometimes." He swiftly dodged the slap aimed his way after this last comment, laughing the whole time.

"Well, Bulma is inside, and we just finished making lunch. So if all you _rude_ people would like to come inside, you might get something to eat," Nana said, lifting her nose in the air with an audible 'hmph!' Dad simply chuckled, shaking his head as she stormed back into the house.

"I love you mum!" he yelled after her, getting up and dusting off his clothes. "Come on," he said, pulling my up by the arm, "lets eat, Birthday Girl."

I gathered up my gifts- the precious dragonball, plus the gi and sword- and followed my father inside, with Trunks walking beside me, and Krillin following behind us. I grinned up at Trunks, happy to be spending the day with friends and family. I just hoped the rest of the day would go this well.

***

"Knock knock," came my mother's voice, and a second later her head peeked in through the door. The small lounge in Kame house was already quite full, with Grandpa Ox, Nana Chi Chi, my dad, Trunks, Bulma, Tarble and Gure, Krillin, Yamcha, Puar, Oolong, Turtle and Master Roshi- as well as myself- all crowded around. Still, I thought we could squeeze two more in.

"Hey Videl!" Bulma called, "Do come in, there's lots of food! Oh, and you brought your father, I see."

My Grandpa Hurcule walked in slowly behind my mother, looking around at all the people present. I could tell that he was a little nervous; normally people respected him for being a former champion, but he already knew that these people would consider him an amateur. He had taken to wearing his old gi around, once I had told him that I knew about his winnings, but I was relieved to see that he wasn't wearing it today. Instead, he had a simple Hawaiian shirt on, coupled with shorts and sandals.

"Hi Grandpa!" I greeted him, getting up to give him a hug.

"Hello baby," he replied, his stubble scratching my face as he kissed my cheek, "Happy birthday."

"This is my father, Hurcule," Mum announced, gesturing towards my grandpa.

"Hi," everyone responded as a group. My grandfather nodded, his eyes scanning each individual.

"Dad," my mother continued, a little quieter than before, "I want to introduce you to Pan's father, Gohan. Gohan, meet my father."

I watched as my dad, who had been standing in the corner, seemed to visibly shrink, his Adams apple bobbing as he took a loud gulp. He strode over to us, and extended his hand to my grandfather. "Nice to meet you, Sir," he said quietly, clearly worried.

"Yeah," my grandfather replied, shaking Dad's hand roughly. Although my grandpa was obviously weaker, I could tell the death glare he was giving my father was having its intended effect. With a huff, he shook his head, placing his hands on his hips. "I suppose I should thank you," Grandpa said to Dad, "for giving us Pan. These girls are my world," he continued, motioning to Mum and me, "so you better not hurt them."

"I wouldn't ever want to hurt either of them, Sir," my father replied nervously, "I care about their welfare, very much."

"Hmm, it sure seemed that way when you left Videl pregnant at…"

"Dad!" my mother yelled, interrupting Grandpa's speech. "Dad, just sit down, okay? We're putting the past behind us. Lets just be happy, for Pan's birthday."

Despite the initial awkwardness, the rest of the day seemed to progress smoothly. Nana had baked me a huge chocolate cake, which I fully enjoyed digging into, and after everyone relaxed on the beach. I went for a swim in my newest bikini, mindful of the fact that most eyes were on me as I waded into the water- and aware that Trunks was taking the job of protecting me very seriously, surrounding me like a snarling guard dog when Yamcha stared too long in my direction.

Once I was dressed again, I was approached by Tarble, who asked if he could speak to me privately.

"Sure," I replied, taking the arm that he offered to me. His brother may have been the Crown Prince, but there was no denying that Tarble was the more charming of the two.

"I wanted to give you this," he said, once we were out of earshot. From his armour he pulled out a gold ring decorated with some kind of animal.

"Oh!" I said, shocked.

"I understand the giving of rings sometimes signals romantic interest on this planet, but that isn't my intention," he explained quickly, looking me in the eye, "you are my niece, that would be very wrong. And I'm married," he added as an afterthought.

"Oh… uh… I wasn't thinking that!" I said quickly, blushing furiously, "I just wasn't expecting anything from you… um… what is it?" I asked, looking back down at the ring in his hand.

"Hmm? Oh, you mean the picture? It's a Saiyan, of course."

"A _Saiyan_?" I echoed, picking up the ring. It took me a second to realise he meant a _transformed_ Saiyan, as I looked at the monkey-like engraving, with bright red jewels inlaid for it's eyes. To the side of the engraving was one single diamond.

"That represents the full moon," Tarble explained as I ran a finger over it. "I forgot, you would not have seen an Oozaru transformation before?"

"No, I've never seen someone transform into… into… a…"

"Oozaru is what we call it." Tarble said, noting my hesitation on how to describe the transformation, "'Great Ape' is another term that people like to use, although Vegeta and I both find it rather a crude name."

"It looks very old," I said, turning the ring around, "It must be very special, Tarble. I can't accept this, it's yours."

Tarble looked at me, shaking his head. "It belonged to my grandmother," he spoke, looking out towards the sea, "my father's mother, the late Queen. She died when I was one year old."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he replied, "I was far too young to remember her. But when she died, she stated in her will where each of her jewels were to go. Most of them were to remain in the royal family, and so were inherited by Vegeta's mother. Others were given to my brother, because he was the Prince. They were going to be reserved until he married; they would be kept for the future queen."

He paused, looking back down at the ring. "As a bastard child, I was not entitled to anything," he said quietly, "but she gave me that anyway."

"Well then… I really can't…"

"She said," Tarble interrupted, "that the ring belonged to her father's mother, so yes, it is very old. In a letter left to me, she wrote expressing her wish that I give the ring to my children, when the time came. She said that despite the fact that I was a bastard, I was still as much her grandson as Vegeta, and deserved recognition. She wanted me to remember her, and for my children to remember her, too. It was important, she said, for children to know where they came from, and to have pride in their ancestors."

He looked me in the eye, willing me to listen. "Gure and I will never have any children, our blood is too different. But you are the mate of my nephew; your children will carry my blood. Not only that, but you are the only Saiyan woman alive now."

"But I'm only part…"

"That doesn't matter," he said, "It's not the blood that matters, it's the heart. If you know you are a Saiyan, then you are a Saiyan. You are one of us, child. And you need to know where you come from; I know you wish to know more of Saiyans. Take this ring, and give it to your own child. Please. It's the only Saiyan jewel that survives now, and I owe it to my grandmother to make sure that it is passed on."

"Okay," I replied, nodding my head, "I'll treasure it. I'll make sure it's passed on."

"Thank you," he replied, pushing the ring onto the third finger of my right hand, before taking my arm and leading me back to the group. "Happy birthday."

***

"Happy birthday Panda," Trunks said softly as we walked around the small island in the afternoon, seeking a little privacy. Out of his pocket he pulled a small velvet bag with a gold drawstring, and handed it to me. I opened it slowly, tipping the contents out onto my palm.

It was a necklace; a simple silver chain with seven separate rings looped around it.

"It's white gold," Trunks said as I looked at it with awe, "the seven rings are lucky, and I figured it kinda suited you, with the seven dragonballs and everything… um, the rings say stuff…" he babbled nervously, "I… I hope you like it. I was gonna get you a car, but then I knew you wouldn't really be into that, and you can fly everywhere anyway…I…"

"_Je t'aime_," I said softly, reading the small writing engraved on the first ring, "That's 'I love you' in French, isn't it?" I asked him, looking into his eyes.

"Yeah," he whispered, "because I love you."

"I love you too, and this present is wonderful. Thank you," I replied sincerely, leaning upwards to kiss his lips.

"What do the rest say?" I asked, looking back down at the necklace in my hands.

"More of the same thing," he replied, turning one ring gently until the symbols on it were exposed "This one says 'be mine' in Japanese, and this one says 'forever' in Spanish. This middle one," he continued, "doesn't say anything, but it has some small diamonds and sapphires in it." I looked at the diamonds, laughing to myself at the absurdity. I wouldn't go as far as to call any _diamond_ small, let alone these ones, which seemed a decent size to me. "They're just quarter carats," he said dismissingly, "I would have put bigger ones in, but they would have looked too big against the other rings I think. And the sapphires are the same colour as your eyes."

I nodded, biting my lip and trying not to cry. "It's beautiful," I whispered, leaning against him.

"The next one says 'I'm yours'," he whispered in my ear, "it's the only ring that's in English, and the next one says 'always' in Chinese. This last one," he murmured, turning the seventh ring between his fingers says 'I love you' in Saiyan; Tarble showed me how to write it."

"Saiyan?" I asked quietly, "But you only met Tarble two days ago…"

"Well," he chuckled, "I did have one saying 'I love you' in Korean, but then I decided yesterday that Saiyan would be better suited to you. So I went and got it changed."

"That's so… so… _romantic_," I said, causing him to laugh.

"You think so?" he asked. "You don't think I'm an idiot 'cause I brought the wrong present? It's really hard buying for women, y'know."

"I would never think you're an idiot!" I replied, "And I love your present, it's beautiful! And so thoughtful!"

"I'm so glad you like it," he said, smiling and kissing me, "and I can still get you a car, if you want."

"No," I replied, smiling as he put the necklace around my neck, "this is enough, really."

'_I love you, be mine, forever; I'm yours, always, I love you.'_


	21. Reality

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Reality

My muscles tensed automatically as I moved into position, my left foot forward, my body slightly crouched, and my arms up ready to both attack and defend.

From what I had seen in the past week, I had assumed my father to be a modest man, slightly shy, and definitely not one to brag.

Looking at him now, I was beginning to think I'd assumed wrong.

We were standing out in the desert, and the wind whipped at my face. I'd tied my hair in a high pony in preparation for the fight, but now I wished I'd done it in a bun. No doubt it would get in the way, and I was already at a huge disadvantage.

Across from me stood my father, his hair glowing gold, his arms crossed and head tilted as if to say 'I'm bored'. I swallowed down the bile that rose in my throat, and hoped that I didn't look as scared as I felt. It was if my cool dad had been replaced by this angry super-being, who seemed completely unimpressed by what I had to offer.

_Oh shit_.

"Just stay calm, Pan! You'll be fine!" Trunks called from the small crowd on the designated 'sideline'. "Use your instincts, remember to block, you're much smaller than him, so try to use it to your advantage!" He continued to yell out advice, but it fell on deaf ears. The only thing I could hear now was my pulse, going crazy in my ears.

The Super Saiyan let his arms fall to his sides, and lurched forward suddenly. I barely had time to block the first blow, which still propelled me backwards. I did a quick back flip and took to the air, my breath coming in shallow gasps. It was easier to fight someone far bigger than me in the air, where the height difference didn't matter so much.

He flew up to meet me, and I jerked sideways suddenly, landing a kick in his face. For a moment, I felt excited, because I'd actually done something right.

Then I realised I'd done something very wrong.

"First rule," he bellowed, making a show as he swung me round by my legs, "never leave yourself open!" He threw me then, and I flew straight into a nearby cliff, all the air leaving me in a great 'whoosh'.

I seriously considered just staying in the rubble. What was the point of asking for more pain? But then I heard the voices of our small audience, carrying over the wind.

Vegeta was insulting me _again_, going on about how weak and pathetic I was. Tarble was defending me, and Piccolo merely grunted in disappointment. Then I heard something that really pissed me off.

"She's just a girl," someone commented, "I don't think she's that strong at all, Saiyan or not."

I felt the anger I had been lacking boil inside me, and with it all the Saiyan instincts that I usually repressed were released. It was this fuel that I needed- the sense that the fight was fun- a thrill, a challenge. Pushing rocks aside I stood up, and strode out with my head held high.

Then the real fight began.

***

I came to, to find that I was lying flat on my back, or at least that's what it felt like. I couldn't totally be sure, my vision was blurred- whether from tears or dizziness I couldn't tell- and my ears were ringing, drowning out any other sounds.

My arm ached, of that I was certain. In fact, it felt like someone had set it on fire, but when I tried to move, I found myself too weak to do anything more than blink.

So it was tears that clouded my eyes. I felt them rolling down my cheeks, as more welled up, until all I saw was a strange whirl of blue above me. Quite suddenly, a little purple added itself to the mix.

"Trunks?" I croaked hoarsely, managing to wiggle one finger in greeting. Kami, was I dying? It sure felt like it.

"Gohan!" Trunks yelled, loud enough for me to hear above the sound of my own throbbing pulse, "What the hell is wrong with you? That was too much! You could have killed her! Hurry up, Krillin, get a senzu over here, NOW!"

There were more people standing above me now, the colours of them swirled together in my vision. Lots of black blobs, a blue head too, and a few bald heads thrown in the mix. I could hear them all speaking, although I couldn't understand anything, and I suddenly felt very scared. Did they even realise how bad this felt?

I must have made some sort of noise, because Trunks' face suddenly hovered above my own, his bright blue eyes blazing through my tears.

"Pan, Pan, look at me!" he said, not bothering to hide the worry in his voice. "Sweetie, can you talk? It's going to be okay, Krillin has a senzu here for you."

I tried to speak, but my entire mouth felt swollen and numb, all that came out was a slight gagging sound. I coughed, my chest constricting in pain, as spittle flew out my lips. I thought I saw red, and realised with panic that I was coughing blood.

I tried to suck in air then, but it wasn't enough, and I gurgled, drowning in the wetness that flooded my throat. My vision suddenly whirled, and I groaned in pain as I found myself facing the dirt, strong hands supporting me as the liquid drained out of my mouth.

I saw the sky again, then, and something was placed in my mouth. "Eat the senzu!" Trunks' voice said, "Chew it, Pan."

My jaw didn't work; I couldn't seem to remember quite _how_ to chew. My vision began to darken then, first around the edges, closing slowly around the middle, although the rest of me remained conscious. Somewhere, far off, I heard my mother's panicked shout.

Fingers were in my mouth again, and the bean was gone. Then Trunks' breath was warm on my cheek, and his tongue was in my mouth. I had the oddest sensation as if I were out of my body, watching the scene from a distance. Was this when the handsome hero realises he can't save his lover, and so gives her one kiss goodbye?

His lips left mine, but there was something bitter still in my mouth. "Swallow it, Pan! Swallow the bean!" I lay there, the strange lump of goop on my tongue, my eyes blind to the world, wondering what on Earth was going on. A small voice told me in the back of my mind that Trunks had chewed the bean for me, saving me from the effort of moving my jaw.

I swallowed then, although it was painful, and I felt like vomiting. The seconds seemed to go by slowly, and then suddenly, everything was fine.

I had been lying on the ground; Trunks' arms were around me now, supporting my head. I lifted my arms, amazed to see my strength returned, but horrified by the amount of blood that covered my torn clothing and dripped down my limbs.

I sat up slowly, blinking in surprise, checking myself over for any trace of injury. The senzu beans never ceased to amaze me- it shouldn't have been possible to heal so quickly, and yet that was what happened every time.

"Hey," someone said near my ear, and I turned to see the worried face of my father, his dark eyes examining my own. "I'm really sorry, Pan, I put too much force into that last blast."

"Huh?" I mumbled, blinking in confusion. Slowly, the memories of the fight trickled back- images of flying fists, feelings of anger and excitement, and the fear that froze me when he fired the last attack. I opened my mouth to say it wasn't his fault- it was me, after all, that had failed to block the blast correctly, as I had been taught- but before I could even get the words out, I was interrupted.

"Don't apologise," Vegeta snarled, "She's a Saiyan; she should have been able to deflect that blast with ease. If she can't even handle such basic moves as that, well, she shouldn't even bother trying to fight."

"She panicked, brother," Tarble interjected, "that's understandable, given the fact that this was the first serious fight she's ever had. You must admit, she's done very well, to have progressed so far in such a short amount of time. Had she been on our own planet, I have no doubt that she would have been classed an elite immediately; you know she's far stronger than you were back then, and you were the strongest…"

"Strength isn't the only factor that makes a good elite! Of all people, I would expect you to know that, _little_ _brother_," Vegeta snapped back, "considering you're the son of a king- bastard or not. If she cannot form good strategy- if she cannot keep her head in battle- then she will die. Everyone knows that, so don't try and stick up for her. Why do you always have to be so _soft_?"

To Tarble's credit, he stood his ground against Vegeta, glaring back up at his older brother. "I think she fought well," he said slowly, "save for the mishap at the end. But everyone makes mistakes, even _you_. That is how one learns to do better next time."

Vegeta glared back at Tarble, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You are a fool," he said, his low voice filled with contempt, "and I just hope you don't rely on this child while on the battlefield; _I_ certainly wouldn't trust her with my life." With that he blasted off, not bothering to look back.

"Just ignore him," Trunks whispered, kissing my ear, "you did very well, Panda. You just need to remember to stay calm, okay?"

I nodded in reply, getting to my feet slowly, and brushing off my gi as well as I could. I was very embarrassed about how the fight had gone- in the end I could have blocked the blast properly, or even counteracted with my own, but I had simply stood there like a fool, frozen in place as the blast hit me.

"Man, I think you did great, facing a Super Saiyan!" Krillin said, giving me a pat on the back, "You couldn't pay me to get in the ring with Gohan, nowadays."

I faked a smile in reply, nodding as everyone told me how well they thought I did, reassuring them all that I was fine. My mother was giving my father a strange look, her face a mixture of anger, fear and revulsion, her lips pursed in a thin line.

"You promised me you wouldn't hurt her," she whispered, meeting his gaze.

"It was a mistake," he replied softly, "I'm sorry."

"Everything's a mistake with you, Gohan," she said with a sigh, "you're always sorry." With that she turned to me. "We're going home, now."

I shook my head, taking a step back. "I'll fly Nimbus home, I'll meet you there," I told her. Not waiting for a reply, I jumped into the air, calling for the cloud at the same time.

"Pan!" Trunks called, taking to the air.

"No!" I yelled back, "Just leave me alone, okay? I just… I just need some time to think."

Trunks nodded, although he looked hurt that I had rejected the offer of his company. Still, I was sure he understood; sometimes a person just needs their own space. Right now, I only had enough patience to deal with myself.

Feeling the soft nimbus cloud beneath me, I sighed in relief, and told it to fly. I didn't care where it took me, so long as it was away from that battlefield.

***

I sat in the forest outside Orange Star City, curled in a ball on the damp ground, with my arms wrapped around my legs. I was cold, but that wasn't bothering me.

It was the fight, and the reality that had finally hit me today.

Tears trickled down my cheeks as I recalled the last few minutes of the fight with perfect clarity.

_I hit him hard in the gut, shifting back and grabbing hold of his arm while he was momentarily distracted. Throwing him down onto the ground, I laughed, reveling in the thrill of battle._

_I thought he was injured- he didn't appear to be moving- but suddenly he was behind me, strong arms pulling my arms back painfully._

"_You're treating this like it's a game, but this isn't," he said, his voice filled with anger. "You won't survive a battle unless you take things seriously!"_

_With that I was hit in the back, and found myself plummeting back onto the ground with a harsh thud. I scrambled onto my knees, looking up at my father, who forming a huge blast above his head._

"_Take the fight seriously, Pan!" he yelled, "Block this, it's the only choice you have!"_

"_NO!" Trunks screamed from the small group gathered, "She can't deflect that! It's too strong, you'll kill her!"_

_I looked back and forth between Trunks and my father, and could feel the panic rising in me with every breath I took._

"_Are you always going to make him save you, Pan?" my father goaded, "Or will you stop this yourself, for once?"_

"_No!" Trunks screamed again, and I looked across to see him transformed, trying to fly towards me while Vegeta, Piccolo and Tarble held him back. "No! Pan!"_

"_MASENKO!" my father screamed, the blast blazing as it left his hands._

_I froze, unable to move, shocked by the suddenly ruthlessness of it all. Up until that point, I had considered fighting to be just a game, and had relied on Trunks too much. Now I realised how terrifying fighting really was, and watched with horror as the blast came down, the heat burning me before it even made contact with my skin._

I shivered, sobbing and burying my head in my knees. It was all too much; I wasn't ready to be a fighter, I didn't have the control or confidence, like all of the true warriors had. I was simply a novice, and they would all be better without me there in a true fight, just as Vegeta had said.

"Hey, don't cry," a voice came, and I looked around, startled.

"Gr… grandpa?" I asked, unsure if I was simply imagining things.

"Yeah, it's me," came the reply, "Grandpa Goku. I watched your fight."

"Oh…" I said, trailing off. I really didn't want to hear what he had to say about it.

"You did really well," he said, his voice sounding reassuring, "you don't have to feel bad about it."

"But…"

"No buts, you did well, okay?" he replied, "I know it's really scary, coming face to face with things like that for the first time. You're really brave, Pan."

"But Bulma said you were never scared of anything?" I asked, looking up at the trees, wishing that my grandfather were actually here on Earth, rather than in Other World.

"Haha!" came his laugh, and I smiled a little myself. "No way!" he continued, "I've been scared plenty of times! You just have to push past it… so don't worry, okay? You should go home and have a big dinner now, you look cold, and you'll feel better with food in your tummy!"

I laughed, wiping away the last of my tears. "Okay Grandpa, I'll go home."

"Good. I'm proud of you, Pan," he replied.

"Thanks," I mumbled, blushing. I paused, wondering if he would reply, but no other sound came. Sighing, I began my run back home.

***

I received plenty of stares as I walked home through the city; although I wasn't injured I was still covered in dirt and dried blood. Deciding that I'd had enough of the stares, I took the shortcut back home, cutting through the local primary school grounds.

Walking back out onto the road, I stopped, with a sudden gasp of surprise. Across the road, I saw something- a creature, an _alien_. I was sure it had to be something out of this world… no human ever looked like that. But then I blinked, and it was gone.

The whole episode lasted no more than a second. I shook my head, telling myself I was simply imagining things; it was probably the after effects of my fight. After all, I couldn't sense any ki where he had been standing, nor any in the near vicinity.

Still, my gut told me that I _had_ seen something strange, and the hairs rose on my arms as I walked briskly home. Why would there be other aliens on this planet, if what I had seen really were true?

Feeling emotionally drained, I collapsed on my bed, not bothering to eat. I closed my eyes, and soon found myself dreaming about the strange man with purple skin; his white mohawk waving softly in the wind.

* * *

**A/N:** I've been very busy in the last two weeks, which is why it took me so long to update. However, I can assure you all that I will not stop writing until this story is finished, and that there is about twenty-five to thirty more chapters to go. I hope you enjoy this one, I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter because things are really going to get exciting now!

Also, I've left a link to my DeviantArt page on my fanfiction profile, if anyone is interested. I've drawn pictures of both Pan's ring from Tarble (that one isn't very good), and one of Pan in the gi Piccolo gave her. You can find both pictures by browsing through my gallery on there.


	22. School Trouble

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

School Trouble

I woke up to the loud calls of the birds and groaned, rolling over in bed and ducking under the covers in a vain attempt to avoid the fact that it was Monday morning.

As if to rub in the fact that I had to get up and go to school, a particularly confident bird perched itself in the tree outside my window and began to utter continuous shrieks; clearly hoping that such a noise would attract a mate. I swore under my breath at the noise, momentarily contemplating blasting the damn thing, before swinging my legs out of my bed and stumbling down the stairs towards the bathroom, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as I went.

Our house wasn't that new, and was prone to leaks or the occasional stiff door, so when the bathroom door wouldn't open I thought nothing of it, and shoved my way in, thankful of the Saiyan strength I possessed. It wasn't until I stepped inside that I realised the door hadn't been stiff at all.

It had been locked.

There stood my father, in all his naked glory. His face held the comical expression of surprise that one always has when they have been truly shocked, but thankfully, he had managed to place his hands in front of the more indecent areas of himself.

"Sorry!" I blurted out, blushing furiously, "I... I didn't think anyone was in here! I thought the door was just jammed... it does that sometimes... uh..." I trailed off, scratching my head and laughing a little, carefully averting my eyes away from the sight, and instead focusing on a speck of mould in the corner.

"Uh..." he began, snatching a towel and hastily covering himself, "no… no problem." He too scratched his head, colour tinting his cheeks as an awkward silence fell on us.

I was about to say I'd let him get back to his shower- he obviously hadn't hopped in yet, when I suddenly became aware that I could hear two sets of heartbeats in the room, other than my own. Frowning, I used my sixth sense- the ability to search for ki- to figure out what was going on.

My eyes widened involuntarily as I realised who it was hiding behind the shower curtain.

My mother.

"Oh!" I blurted out before I could stop myself, "Oh... oh crap! Oh... Sorry!" By now my face was flaming with heat, and I backed away quickly, shutting the door behind me with a slam, and running back up to my room. Dismissing the notion of a morning shower, I instead pulled on my school uniform and jumped out the window, preferring to skip breakfast than stay inside the house any longer.

Although I tried, I couldn't get their ki out of my head, nor the obvious idea of what they had been doing. Of course, I should have realised exactly why my dad had been in the bathroom the moment I saw him; but it was just like me to be a little slow on these matters.

Still, it was pretty shocking to discover your parents showering together, especially if you were under the impression that they didn't exactly get along.

"Ugh, you idiot!" I told myself as I walked briskly down the road, "How could you not have seen it before!"

Of course, now it all made sense. It had been two months since my father, along with his friends, had returned from the dead, and within that time I had sensed some kind of tension between my parents. I had mistaken it for dislike, especially since the 'Masenko incident' as everyone called it, but now I realised the tension had simply been of a sexual nature.

"Eww!" I exclaimed, shaking my head, hoping that I could shake the gross images out with it. Of course, maybe if I had normal parents, I could have expected something like this. But they were far from normal, having not seen each other in over seventeen years since the day I was conceived. Needless to say, I wasn't used to the idea of my parents being together in _that_ sense. Yuck.

I sighed, shaking my head once more. My dad had apologised a thousand times for the blast he threw at me in our only fight, but there was still a bit of strain between us. It wasn't that I was scared of him; more that I was ashamed at how weak I had been. If I had have fought correctly, I would have never suffered such great injuries- to both my body and my pride- that day.

Now this new development wasn't going to help at all, if anything, it was going to make things worse. Now I was going to be all embarrassed around him. Once again, I cursed my stupidity for not searching for ki before forcing the bathroom door open. I should have known better!

Caught up in my own thoughts, I almost missed the two strange men hidden behind a bush, just a short distance away from the school gates. I gasped when I saw them, but quickly looked away when one of them met my gaze.

Continuing to walk at a regular pace, I snuck one more glance back before heading into the school grounds. Unlike the last time I thought I had seen something, these guys were definitely there.

Their skin was a disgusting grey colour, as if they were dead, and the veins showed up clearly under the thin layer of skin. Both men looked bulky, although one was smaller than the other, and both had a strange tattoo on their foreheads. From my distance, I couldn't see what the tattoo was, but the overall impression still gave me shivers down my spine. They certainly didn't look like normal people.

I hesitated about calling Trunks, knowing that if I did, he'd be over in an instant, searching about and 'protecting me', despite the fact that he had work.

When I thought I had seen the strange alien man, I had told Trunks the next day. From that, he had organised a worldwide search, involving all of the 'Earth's Special Forces' in a hunt for the mysterious alien I had spotted. After a week of nothing, the guys had given up, and I had to embarrassingly admit to Vegeta that perhaps I had imagined the whole thing.

Because of that, I almost didn't choose to tell Trunks about the two men. The decision changed, however, when I realised I couldn't sense any ki from either of them.

I shivered again, quickly ducking into a classroom and searching my bag for my phone. Ki was the essence of life; every living thing had it, so why couldn't I sense anything from those two?

"Oh shit," I mumbled, after tipping the entire contents of my bag out onto the floor, "my phone's at home." I had been in such a rush to leave the house after walking in on my parents' shower, that I hadn't realised I'd forgotten to pack my cell phone. I could see where it was now as clearly as if I were standing right there; I had left it on me desk, plugged in and charging overnight. Little use the thing would do me now.

I bit my lip, hoping that the strange men were just random weirdoes, rather than anything close to the evil super-villains Trunks and the others told stories about.

Unfortunately for me, I had a hunch that something bad was about to happen.

***

The school day dragged on, but eventually I found myself walking up the road, towards the spot where Trunks usually picked my up on Monday afternoons.

Normally, I could rely on Trunks to be early, so I found odd when he wasn't there, in whatever flash vehicle he had decided to use for the day. Looking around for a moment, I shrugged, and settled down on the grass beside the road, enjoying the warm spring sunshine.

It had been ten minutes when I began to think something was seriously wrong. He was never this late, and it wasn't like him to be unorganised. Searching for his ki, my eyes widened in shock when I felt it only a short distance away, decreasing rapidly.

"Trunks!" I yelled, and flew into the air, ignoring the gasps of shock from the other students filing out of school. It took only moments to find him, and I was pulling the grey-skinned men off him before I even had a chance to think.

"Stop!" came a yell from behind me, and I only had a chance to turn my head slightly in response before my body seemed to freeze, leaving me without control of my muscles.

"Let's just take this and go! We have enough, Babidi will be pleased!" one of the grey men yelled to the other, at the same time tanking a strange white container away from Trunks' stomach. Unlike the rest of my body, I could still move my eyes, and I watched in horror as the blood spurted from the deep wound in my beloved's side.

Trunks lay still, though his eyes met mine with a fierce intensity. _Get away_, they said, _save yourself_. Tears sparked in my eyes, blurring my vision, and I blinked, again and again, until I could see again.

At the same time, the two grey men seemed to conclude the small argument they wee having amongst themselves, and took off into the air. When they were out of sight, the control of my muscles suddenly came back to me.

I gasped, throwing myself beside Trunks, searching frantically for a pulse along his neck.

"I'm still alive, silly," he croaked, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smile, "it takes more than some little machine to kill me."

"What was that?" I asked, my voice rising in panic, "What's going on?"

"They stole most of his ki," answered a voice behind me, and I whirled around, my fists raised, ready to attack.

To my shock, the purple alien stood in front of me, his white mohawk rising high above his head.

"Please!" he said, and air of desperation in his voice, "Please, just listen to me, Pan! I will explain everything! And Trunks will be fine, Kibito will heal him now!"

"Who are you?" I yelled back, surprising myself with the vicious tone of my voice, "Who are you, and what have you done to him? And how the hell do you know my name?"

"I know a great lot," the alien replied, his hands raised in a peaceful gesture, "I am a Kai. Please, just listen to me, child. Your planet is in grave danger. Listen to me, and let my friend heal your loved one."

"Y… you're a Kai?" I asked, feeling suddenly dizzy, "What? Are you King Kai?"

"No," he answered calmly, "I am the Supreme Kai, but that doesn't matter right now. I must go, I have to follow those two. Kibito here will heal Trunks. Once that is done, he will follow me. Feel free to accompany Kibito if you wish; we may need your help." Without saying anything else, he left, blasting off into the sky in the same direction as the two grey men.

"Do not worry, I will heal him," the alien I assumed to be Kibito said, his gruff voice matching his wrinkled pink face. He bent down on one knee, placing a hand flat on Trunks, and began to emit a soft glow. I realised at once that he had the same ability as Namekian healers; he could fix any injury.

"Are you a Kai too?" I asked, watching as the colour returned to Trunks' face.

"Be quiet," came the reply, "I must concentrate."

I frowned at that, poking my tongue out at his back. Trunks saw my movement, his eyes widened in a mixture of shock and amusement, his lips twitching in a small smile.

"Ahh," Trunks sighed after a moment, pushing himself up off the ground, "That feels much better. Are you all right, Panda?"

I nodded, at once moving to his side, and wrapping my arms around his middle. "It'll be okay," he whispered into my hair, "I won't let anything happen to you."

"Do you wish to know what is going on?" Kibito interrupted, and Trunks and I both looked up at the alien's towering form.

"Yes," Trunks replied, his voice at once serious. "The… _Supreme Kai_… said that this planet was in grave danger."

"Yes. I do not wish to waste time," Kibito replied, "so let me explain the situation to you along the way. Follow me." Without waiting to check if we would follow, Kibito took off into the sky, following the Supreme Kai.

I looked up at Trunks, hugging him even tighter. "I'm scared," I admitted quietly, "I was so scared, when I saw you were down."

"I know," he replied, kissing me lightly on the lips. He frowned, looking up at Kibito's retreating form. "I'm going to follow him," he said, "I need you to tell your father, and my father if you can, then stay at Capsule Corp. This is going to get dangerous, I think."

"No!" I replied, gripping him tighter, "I'm coming with you! You have your cell phone, don't you? Just call them! But don't you dare leave me behind! What have I been training for?"

His jaw tightened in response- clearly he didn't like the idea- but he handed me his phone anyway. "Fine," he said gruffly, "I'm flying ahead, I've got to talk to him. You call all the guys, then follow. The numbers are programmed in the phone." He turned then, increasing his ki and readying himself to follow Kibito.

"Pan," he said, and turned the full force of his blue eyes on me, "you be careful. I won't live without you." He lifted into the sky after that, a white trail across the blue sky stretching out behind him.

"You be careful," I whispered as I watched him disappear, "I won't live without you, either."

***

"Hello," came the sugar-sweet voice of Trunks' grandmother, Mrs. Briefs.

"It's Pan," I said, not bothering with the usual cordialities observed when speaking on the phone, "I need to speak to Vegeta. Now."

"Oh!" came Mrs. Briefs reply over the phone, "Vegeta! Well, I think he's training in that room again, you know he works so hard, he's such a dedicated man! Why, just yesterday he was..."

"Look, I can't talk right now," I said, cutting her off, "Trunks might be in trouble, so can you get Vegeta on the phone now, please?"

"Oh my!" she exclaimed, "Oh! I'll just go and get him then." I heard her rushed footsteps then, and cursed to myself about the size of Capsule Corporation; it would take at least a few minutes for Mrs. Briefs to reach the gravity room from the kitchen if that was where she picked up the phone.

"Vegeta! Vegeta darling!" I heard her call, coupled by dainty knocking on the door. "Vegeta! It's the phone for you!" I vaguely wondered if Vegeta had ever even used the phone before; being an alien he hadn't spent that much time on Earth in total, and I could hardly imagine him gossiping to friends on one of the contraptions.

"What?" I heard him yell, as the whoosh of the door opening came through the line. There was a small sound of surprise from Mrs. Briefs, and then crackling noises as the phone changed hands.

"What do you want?" came the angry voice of the prince, hurting my ears with the volume.

"Vegeta, its Pan. Trunks was attacked, he's fine now, but something's wrong. That alien guy I saw; he's a Kai, and he said the planet is in grave danger, and Trunks has flown off with him, and he told me to tell you, and that I have to follow him, and..."

"Calm down," Vegeta cut in. "Explain to me what happened, slowly."

I took a deep breath then, and tried to explain to Vegeta everything that had happened, beginning with my sightings of the strange grey-skinned men in the morning.

"The Supreme Kai?" he questioned, once I had finished, "I knew there was a Grand Kai, but a Supreme Kai... what business would he have here?"

"I don't know," I replied, "but I'm afraid. I think something really bad is going to happen."

"Well of course it is," Vegeta replied, "you better hurry up and inform your father of the situation. I'll get Bulma to call the rest. If you plan on accompanying us, you better get flying now, since you're so much slower than the rest of us." With that he hung up the phone, and I was left feeling only slightly more confident about the situation.

_At least Vegeta's an experienced fighter_, I told myself, _and he wouldn't let anything happen to his only son._

_Would he?_

* * *

**A/N:** Ugh, my normal computer is at the repair shop right now, as it has been for the last few days, which is why I didn't update sooner. I have a laptop, but it only has notepad on it (no spell check or word count or anything), so I had to wait until I could use someone else's computer to upload my documents... so, sorry! Hopefully I'll have the computer back by next week.


	23. Daemonologie

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Daemonologie

I tossed the phone into my bag- which had been sitting in place on my back the entire time- and pulled out my gym shorts, yanking them hastily on under my skirt, before pulling the tartan skirt off entirely. I was in a hurry, but damned if I was going to let the guys perve up my backside while flying behind me.

I could already sense Dad's ki moving at a high speed, chasing after Trunks and Kibito. Vegeta was already moving too, but coming from West City meant he had a longer distance to travel.

Tarble was moving too, his ki trailed behind his brother's, and I smiled to myself. Unlike most Saiyans, he did not enjoy fighting, but he still trained hard, regardless. No doubt it was his sense of honour that made him decide to help defend the Earth now, rather than his own will to fight.

I took to the air too, flying with as much speed as I could muster while still preserving precious energy. Trunks and Kibito had almost caught up to the Supreme Kai- and I still had quite a distance to fly before I caught up to them.

I tried to stop the nervous butterflies that churned in my stomach, instead distracting myself with scenery below. That plan didn't really work, though; I spotted some of the craters left by the androids, and my stomach gave another lurch. Would all of the Earth's fighters die once again? Was today the last day of my life, and I just didn't know it yet?

I bit my lip in concentration, increasing my ki and my speed in turn. If it was going to be my last day on Earth, I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Trunks, but that meant I had to get to him first.

"Pan!" someone yelled, and I turned to see Piccolo flying in my direction. I slowed until he caught up, then increased my speed again to match his pace.

"Kami told me something was going on. Apparently I'm supposed to ask you. The pathetic old man wouldn't say any more," he said, frowning at me, his mouth turned down in a scowl.

"I don't know much," I replied, "but Trunks was attacked by these two weird guys that didn't have ki, and then that alien I saw two months ago- it turns out he's a Kai!"

"A _Kai_!" Piccolo exclaimed, "Here?"

"Yeah, he said he's the Supreme Kai, and that the planet is in grave danger. I've got no idea what's going on, except that Trunks has flown ahead with the Kai's sidekick dude, and he's apparently got the answers. So, yeah."

"The Supreme Kai?" Piccolo mumbled to himself, "I didn't even think a Supreme Kai existed. For him to be here..."

"That's what Vegeta said," I told him, "he's coming with Tarble. Ooh! I can sense Krillin and Yamcha now too! I wonder if Bulma managed to get a hold of Tien?"

"I imagine Tien will be able to sense all of our ki. He will come too, I am sure," Piccolo replied.

We lapsed into silence after that, as we flew over one of the desert regions. I found myself wishing I could read minds- Piccolo looked like he was in deep thought, and I would have given anything to know what was going through his head.

***

Vegeta and Tarble caught up to us just before we reached Trunks, Kibito and my father. None of us spoke, but Tarble moved so that he was flying beside me, and gave me a reassuring smile.

"There they are," I breathed, sighing with relief to see Trunks' form ahead of me. He was flying beside my father, with the Kai and Kibito flying a little way ahead of them.

"Trunks!" I yelled, nearly bowling into him in my excitement, "You're okay!"

"Of course I'm okay," he smiled, nodding in acknowledgment to the rest of the arrivals, "stop worrying about me, Panda. I'm a Super Saiyan, after all."

"Hmph! You could still be stronger, boy," Vegeta cut in, "If you didn't spend so much time doing other things."

"You mean going to work, so I can put a roof over your head, old man?" Trunks retorted, "Yeah, maybe I should stop that. Who would pay for your gravity room repairs then, though?"

Vegeta glared back at his son in reaction to being called 'old man', but didn't say anything else. Trunks smirked, as did Tarble, and I shook my head in amusement.

Trunks had told me that when he had seen his father in the past timeline, he had let the older man walk all over him, but he was determined not to let it happen this time around. '_I realize now, the best way to speak to my father is to talk to him directly_,' Trunks had said. '_He won't respect me if I let him push me around, but if I stand up to him, like my mother does, I think we'll get along better. I'm older now than I was back then. I think I understand him more._'

"Hey guys! Look's like things are going to get rough around here, huh?" Came Krillin's voice, and we all turned our heads to see the remainder of the fighters- Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu- fly up towards us.

"Yeah," my dad replied, "It sucks, we just got back!"

"I know," Yamcha added, "I'm sure glad I'm friends with a bunch of Saiyans though. I'll stick around, but I think I'll leave the action to you guys."

"Thanks," Trunks replied with a chuckle, "I'll try not to disappoint."

"Let's hope you don't," Kibito said grimly, turning to look at all of us. "The situation is serious."

The mood changed abruptly, with everyone falling silent. I swallowed loudly, and took a deep breath, trying to keep the sense of panic at bay.

"Now Kibito," the Supreme Kai said, "it may not get to that point. We still have a chance to stop this before it gets dangerous. Let us hope that fate will be on our side." He then turned to look at each of us fighters in turn, his black eyes assessing us in a cool manner.

"I am the Supreme Kai," he started, after a small silence. "Many of you know the North Kai, known otherwise as King Kai. The four Kais of the lower quadrant are looked over by the Grand Kai. I am the Grand Kai's overlord, the Lord of Lords. There is no being higher in the universal hierarchy than me."

"Whoa," I heard Krillin mutter, and I turned to see his eyes widening in awe.

"I am here, as I have already told some of you, because your planet- and the entire universe- is in grave danger. Usually, I do not enter the lower realms, but on this occasion I deem it necessary. There is a wizard on this planet, named Babidi. He is from a distant galaxy, and the son of one of the most notorious villains ever known."

"Babidi's father, Bibidi, created a monster," Kibito cut in, "stronger than anything else that has ever lived. He sealed the monster away in a ball, as a means of transportation, with his magic as the only key to unlocking the seal."

"Thousands of years ago, Earth was Bibidi's next target," the Supreme Kai continued, "He brought the monster- Buu- here, sealed away in the ball. However, before he could unleash Buu once again, I destroyed him. Without Bibidi, there was no way to open Buu's seal, and so we felt it was best to leave the ball here on Earth, as it was in an area inaccessible to humans."

"We did not realise Bibidi had a son!" Kibito said, his voice rising in anger, "if we had have, we would have dealt with the issue millennia ago. As it is now... Babidi is here, and the ball is not where we left it."

"We assume Buu is now in Babidi's possession," the Supreme Kai explained, "and so we are following the minions who stole Trunks' ki, as they will lead us back to Babidi. They stole the ki, because that is what is needed to release Buu."

"Hmph!" Vegeta mumbled, and the Supreme Kai moved his head, to look the Saiyan Prince in the eye.

"No," the Supreme Kai said, speaking directly to Vegeta, "an entire army of Super Saiyans wouldn't be enough to defeat Buu." Vegeta's expression changed to that of shock, and I frowned, not understanding what was going on.

"You read minds!" Trunks exclaimed, his eyes widening.

"He is the Supreme Kai," Kibito answered, "He has many powers."

I blinked, blushing at the thought of someone reading my mind. Was he reading it right now? What if I started thinking dodgy things, would he continue reading my mind? And oh, Kami, did he read my mind about me walking in on Mum and Dad?

_Oh, the horror._

"Pan," the Supreme Kai said, sending me a sharp look that made my face flame red. "I do not invade the privacy of people's minds unless I deem it necessary. Do not fret, little one."

"O... okay," I mumbled, blushing even more as everyone stared at me.

"What have you been thinking?" Trunks whispered to me, one eyebrow rising in suspicion.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know," I mumbled in reply.

***

"They are slowing down ahead," the Supreme Kai announced, "there is a cliff we can hide behind. We must take care not to be seen."

I took in more deep breaths as the cliff came into view. Trunks, noticing my agitation, took hold of my hand, squeezing it tight, giving me one of his 'it'll be okay, Panda,' looks.

"Man, I wish Dad was here," I heard my father mumble, and I looked to him in surprise. Sometimes I forgot how much of a leader my grandfather Goku had been to the other men, and it always surprised me whenever I was reminded. I must have looked worried, because my father did his best to smile back at me. "It's going to be okay," he said softly, "I won't let anything happen to you, kiddo."

I nodded back at him, blushing a little at being called 'kiddo'. It was still a bit awkward, trying to figure out which names we could call each other. With a small pang of regret, I thought once again of the fact that I probably would never be comfortable with something as informal as 'Daddy'; there was just too many years of separation between us.

I looked ahead at the Supreme Kai, wondering briefly what I was supposed to call him. Sir? My Lord? Your Highness? Mr. Supreme? The last one reminded me of pizza toppings, and I giggled, unable to stop myself from imagining the Kai working in a pizza parlour.

"My name is Shin," he said, turning around to look at me, "you can call me that, if you want, Pan."

"Oh!" I said, surprised once again. At this rate, people would begin to think red was my natural skin colour, by all the blushing I was doing today. "Uh… that's… that's a nice name," I stuttered, wishing I could break away from the Kai's direct gaze, but somehow unable to.

"Thank you," Shin replied, grinning so that his eyes became small slits. The effect was unnerving.

We landed quietly among the rocks atop the cliff, peering down stealthily at the two minions of Babidi, who had landed outside a small dome-like building.

"The ground looks dug up," I observed, "strange."

"Of course!" Kibito exclaimed, causing me to roll my eyes. _So much for keeping quiet_. "Babidi buried his ship underground! That's why we couldn't find it before!"

"Buu must be inside," Shin commented, "we must be careful; whatever we do, we must not rupture his ball."

"I say we attack now, kill the wizard, and get this whole thing over with," Vegeta suggested, "standing here, waiting for them to do something, is a waste of time."

"No!" Shin replied, "You mustn't attack yet! Any damage to Buu's ball could release him, and if that happens we will all be doomed! No, you must stay put. We need to let this play out further, before making any moves. I am sure Babidi will emerge from his ship soon, when that happens, we may have a chance to attack."

"So, how does Babidi choose his minions, anyway?" I asked, watching the two gray men with disgust, as one began urinating on the side of Babidi's ship.

"Babidi has the power to control any being with evil in their heart." Kibito replied, "He only needs to find a trace of evil, and will promise to fulfill the beings desires in return for control. Only those pure, like us, can fight Babidi without the risk of being possessed."

I bit my tongue, refraining from pointing out that neither Vegeta nor Piccolo had pure hearts, or that Tien had once considered the life of an assassin. As it turned out, I wasn't the only one thinking along the same lines.

"Ha, well, we're screwed then. Vegeta's about as evil as they come," Yamcha pointed out, glaring at the Prince from his spot behind my father.

Vegeta smirked, while Shin frowned in worry. His eyes met Kibito's, and they both held their gaze for a long time. When Shin shook his head in a silent 'no', I realized they had been communicating telepathically.

"The Prince of Saiyans wouldn't be so weak as to let another control him," Shin commented offhandedly, while returning his gaze to the scene below, "I do not think you have to worry, Yamcha."

I snuck a glance at Vegeta, who remained as still as a statue. His eye twitched though, the same as Trunks' did when something bothered him. I sighed, taking relief in the fact that Vegeta had so much pride. Shin was right; Vegeta wouldn't let anyone control him.

"Look, someone is coming out," Tien whispered, drawing all of our attention to the buried ship. I squinted, placing a hand to my forehead in order to block out the glare of the sun, and realized I could also see the door of the ship opening slowly.

Shin gasped in shock as a huge creature stepped out into the light. I peered closer at him, and cold shivers ran down my spine.

The man- or monster- had red skin, with two horns protruding from his head. I could faintly see the markings of the same 'M' tattoo on his forehead, which Shin had explained stood for 'Majin'. His clothes were bright blue, with white boots, and a matching white cape that dangled almost to the ground.

"Impossible," Shin whispered, "how could that wizard… I refuse to believe it! He couldn't have enslaved the King of Demons!"

Kibito growled low in his throat. "Dabura," he snarled, "for Babidi to enslave even him… the wizard is far more powerful than we first imagined."

"Who is he?" my father asked, his gaze flicking between the scene below and the two worried Kais. "Is he dangerous?"

"Very," Shin answered in reply. "He is Dabura, the King of the Demon World- a realm that exists on the other side of this one. There, he is the strongest being, just as one of you may be the strongest being in this world. He is pure evil."

"Look," Kibito said, pointing at the ship, "Babidi emerges."

I looked down to see a small, ugly creature with bug eyes emerge from the ship. His skin was yellow, and from what I could see, he looked shriveled too. I shivered again, he reminded me of a bug.

"So that is the wizard," Trunks said coolly, and I felt him tense beside me. "We won't let him release Buu."

"But with Dabura there… it… it…" Shin trailed off, his eyes widening in horror as he watched the scene below. I looked down over the cliff once again, just in time to see the larger of the two gray men get blown to pieces.

It was disgusting. I'd seen destruction in my life; the androids made sure of that, but I'd never seen someone self destruct from the inside out before. Before I could help it, the bile ran up my throat, and I barely had time to move away from Trunks before my half-digested lunch decorated the ground at my feet.

"Ugh," I mumbled, shaking with suppressed emotions- fear, anger, horror, disgust.

"Shh," Trunks mumbled behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and drawing me solidly against him; my back pressed against his chest. He rubbed my arm in a continuous motion, all the time keeping me turned away from the view of Babidi and his minions.

It didn't matter; I heard the second man explode anyway.

I let out a strangled sob, the tears burning behind my eyes. Seeing something first-hand is so much worse, and the brutality of it all struck me like a slap in the face. I had been terrified when I fought my father- I had thought he was bad enough. Now I realized that had barely scratched the surface. How could these guys stomach it to watch?

"Maybe you should go back, Panda," Trunks whispered in my ear, "you could get everyone to the lookout, it would be safer there… if anything happened."

"No!" I said furiously, spinning around and latching onto Trunks as forcefully as I could. "I'm not leaving you here!"

"All right, all right," he mumbled, still keeping the same, calm tone in his voice. He chuckled a little, untangling my fingers from their hold on his hair. "Try not to make me bald, sweetheart," he murmured.

"Mm… sorry," I mumbled into his shoulder, before pulling back and rubbing my eyes. "I'm okay," I said, a little louder, not sure whether I was reassuring him or myself, "I just wasn't expecting to see something like… like that."

"You are very brave," Shin commented, "and your reaction was completely understandable. The same thing happened to me, once. Do you remember, Kibito?"

"Yes, my lord. You were only in your first few decades of life… everything seemed shocking to you back then. Why, it must be over a billion years ago, now."

"Yes," Shin replied, "I have seen a great deal more since then."

"A _billion_?" I whispered in amazement.

"Kai's never age," Kibito replied, "once we get to a certain point."

"Why don't we concentrate on the matters at hand," Vegeta interjected, "the wizard appears to be discussing something with Dabura."

I looked back over the ledge, to see Babidi re-entering his ship. Dabura, on the other hand, made no move at all.

Then his ki increased, and I realized with horror that he knew where we all were.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, and yet it happened so fast. One moment, Dabura was on the ground, in the next, he was hovering in front of me.

At the same time, part of me was aware that Trunks had left my side. I looked up at the Demon King- his arm outstretched, as if to blast me- and watched as my angel appeared behind him, the angel's arm moving so swiftly, it looked like it passed right through Dabura's neck.

I blinked, and let out a shocked gasp, and then another, as I realized Trunks' hand really _had_ passed through Dabura's neck. The demon's head landed with a thud at my feet, the yellow eyes still wide open in shock, while the body tumbled back down the cliff face.

Above me, Trunks hovered, his body bathed in the golden light of his own ki, his hand dripping with purple blood. I stared at him blankly, feeling strangely detached from the situation.

_How could someone so beautiful_, I thought to myself, _be so brutal at the same time?_

_Is this what it means to be a Saiyan?_

* * *

**A/N:** If you're wondering about the title of this chapter, King James VI of Scotland (Later also James I of England) wrote a book titled _Daemonologie_ in 1597. I just always thought it was an interesting way to spell 'demonology'.


	24. Terror

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

**A/N:** Due to the increasing amount of violence in this story, I put the rating up to M.

Terror

Trunks lowered to the ground in front of me, the air around him crackling with the static electricity generated by his own power.

"Wh… what?" I managed to stutter, taking a step backwards, away from Dabura's head.

"Trunks! Nice move!" my father commented, as if he were talking about a simple baseball game, "I didn't now you had reached level two, you've been holding out on us."

"I didn't see why it would be necessary to announce it to the world," Trunks replied, while wiping his bloodied hand on his pants, "besides; it's no big deal, right? Everyone's an Ascended Saiyan, these days."

Trunks had told me, a few months before the other fighters came back, that he had reached the second level of Super Saiyan. Until today, though, I had never seen it. He looked even more powerful than before, and his ki was off the charts. What did he mean by 'everyone' though? Was Vegeta and my father also at his level? Were they even stronger?

It seemed scary, _wrong_ almost, for one being to hold so much strength. Trunks was good, but for someone evil… a shiver ran down my spine, as I tried to make sense of it all.

My heart was beating rapidly in my chest, and I felt breathless. This situation was far too intense, and I didn't want to have to deal with it. I didn't even want to think what could have happened to me, had Trunks not stepped in.

He met my eye, clearly thinking the same thing. His eyes always held power over me, and staring into the teal pools now, I felt myself drowning in him. He was always a very intense man- at least around the people who knew him best- and his Super Saiyan transformation seemed to emphasize his powerful charisma.

"This is more dangerous than I expected it to be," he said, still staring at me, "we could die."

"Am I… am I getting in your way?" I asked quietly, trying my best to hold back tears. "If I'm more of a burden, I'll…"

"It's not that," he cut in. "But you aren't strong enough to fight this battle yet, Pan. You deserve better than to have to bear witness to this," he continued, motioning to the head on the ground. "I think, well, it's very selfish of me, but I would feel better if you went to the lookout. I don't want to see you hurt."

"I think she could handle staying, Trunks," my father said, "if she's going to be a fighter, than she has to start somewhere. I won't let anyone touch her."

"_If_ she's going to be a fighter. But is that really what Pan wants? Do you want to be like this, Pan? Having to spend your life saving others? You don't have to, you have a choice."

"I…I…" I mumbled, surprised at being put on the spot. This was the question I had been avoiding for a long time now; did I actually want to be a fighter? I had the skills, but did I want the responsibility that came with it? I didn't know, but there was one thing I was sure of.

"I want to stick with you," I said, looking up at Trunks defiantly. "I don't want to be like Bulma, or Nana Chi Chi… or my mum. If you fight, I want to fight by your side. I don't want to be left behind. I don't… I don't want to be another widow. If something happened to you, because I wasn't there, I would never forgive myself."

"But look at me, Pan. If something happens to me, what difference could you make, sweetheart? You're strong, very strong. But I just don't know… and I don't want you doing something you don't enjoy- something you loathe or fear- because of me."

"I'm staying," I said, with as much resolve as I could muster. I had made my decision; I would fight, because they needed me. Surely, in some small way, I could help.

Trunks opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then abruptly spun around, launching into the air, yelling as he flew. "Stay on guard, Pan!" he cried, as he dodged the attacks of three different minions, "Keep near the others!"

The others, I realized, were all fighting too. I looked down at Babidi's ship, as even more minions poured out. How many creatures did Babidi have under his control? It appeared that he had collected a whole army.

I didn't have any more time to think, as some of the minions saw me, unattended. Suddenly I was immersed in battle, and couldn't concentrate on anything other than the enemy in front of me.

It was three to one, and I spent most of my time dodging. Babidi's magic either hid their ki, or destroyed it completely; either way, I couldn't sense anything from the aliens, and had to rely on my sight and hearing alone. It made fighting all the more difficult.

Nonetheless, I could tell by the strength of their strikes that they weren't all that strong, and managed to hold my own fairly well. Every now and then one would get a hit in, but I could tell I was wearing them down.

"Don't let them hit you! Don't let them hit you at all!" Shin yelled, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him fighting against four ugly aliens. He flipped in the air, taking two by complete surprise, and used the opportunity to blast holes right through them. The bodies crashed to the ground, causing dust to explode in small clouds from the earth.

"Why?" Krillin yelled back, "It's easier said than done, you know!" he added with a grunt, as he was pushed backwards by another of the aliens.

"Babidi will absorb all of the ki expelled in the fight! He will release Buu!" Shin cried, blasting another of the minions, "End it quickly!"

_Okay_, I thought to myself, hoping that I had the strength to go through with it, _you have to kill them._

Until that moment, I had been hoping I could avoid taking another creature's life. I knew it was selfish, but I had been fighting at less than my full strength, hoping that Trunks would cut in and handle the dirty work. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of him, and realized that would be impossible. He was surrounded by at least a dozen minions, who had clearly recognized his great strength, and chose to attack in numbers. Another flash of gold shone to my left, and I saw the same went for my father, and most likely Vegeta too.

Momentarily distracted, I didn't have time to dodge a kick, and took one squarely in the jaw. It burned like hell, making my eyes water, and I retaliated with a fury that burnt deep in my core. I recognized the call of the primeval Saiyan dwelling in me, and set the creature free.

She wanted blood. And lots of it.

It was easy after that; I didn't even have to think. I tore the limbs from one, blasted another, and kicked the third one so hard that his neck broke on impact.

Still, I wanted more.

I had felt this feeling before, creeping up on me in the midst of training. During the fight with my father, I had been close to giving in, but had withheld, reluctant to lose myself to it. Now I was in a state of madness, part of me knew I was, and yet I couldn't stop.

I was the most powerful being in the world. I could do anything.

I picked out a few of the minions that had been holding back, and fought them with everything I had. I was arrogant, smirking and snarling like a monster myself, not bothering to care about the blood that smattered my clothes and skin. I would win every battle.

Too late, I realized my mistake. Trunks had told me to stay close, but the aliens- four of them, now- had pushed me out and down, so now I was at the bottom of the cliff, on the opposite side to Babidi's ship. It was cold and dark here; the cliff cast a gloomy shadow, blocking out the spring sun.

I gasped for air and pulled back, until I was pressed up against the cliff. The four minions had pulled back too; they hovered in formation around me, all four of them smirking. My chest heaved, and I struggled to gain enough strength. I had used up too much energy, too quickly.

They all knew it.

"Ha!" one cackled, through yellow lips, "we have you now, little girl. You shouldn't have tried to play with the grown ups. Now you will die!" He sprung forwards, and I tried to pull my hands in front of my face, only to realize that my arms had been caught from behind by another of the creatures.

The one who had spoken then hit me in the gut, I doubled forward, wheezing as the air left me body. More hits pummeled me, over and over again, and I fell to the ground, curling in a ball, trying to protect myself. I couldn't see- they'd kicked my face, there was blood in my eyes, and my nose was broken.

_I'm going to die._

Someone yelled- it was intelligible to my ears- and the minions were forced off me. The yelling continued, and I realized the calls were not random noises, but war cries, made in a foreign language.

_Saiyan._

I cracked my eyes open, pulling myself slowly to my feet. Tarble stood in front of me, his hands balled into fists. He continued to yell, his voice booming off the cliff, resonating in the air. Despite his small size, he looked ferocious.

He attacked then, throwing himself at the four, beating them with his fists, kicking them with expert timing, whipping them with his tail. From my position on the ground, it looked almost beautiful; a deadly dance that would continue to the end.

I flew forward then, knowing I could not stand there and watch. I singled out one, and fought him evenly. If I could just get a chance to throw in a blast…

Something hit me hard in the back, and I was thrown into the cliff face, bouncing like a rag doll back down to the ground. I coughed, feeling a searing pain in my chest, knowing that my ribs had cracked, and rolled onto my back, just in time to see a new alien aim a blast right for me.

I knew then that that was it. There was no time for me to dodge, and I was too weak to block. I hoped my death would be quick.

It didn't come. At the last moment, the burning light was blocked by something in front of me. There was a scream, and a blinding flash, and then everything fell eerily silent.

I brought my arm down from its place in front of my eyes, where it had been shielding the light, to see Tarble's body lying still on the ground, his clothes smoking, the air reeking with the smell of singed hair and skin.

"No…" I whispered, wanting desperately to disbelieve the sight in front of my, yet unable to. "No!" I cried louder, and scrambled forwards on my knees, forgetting about my own injuries.

He was alive; I could hear him wheezing with every breath. I rolled him over gingerly, picking up his head, and cradling it in my lap. "Tarble," I whispered. He didn't respond. "Tarble! Tarble! You have to wake up!"

"I'm awake, Niece," he mouthed slowly, his eyes cracking open a little. I noticed with increasing horror that his ki was dangerously low, flickering like the weak flame of a candle.

_He's not going to make it_.

"You're going to make it!" I said, "You'll be fine!"

"No," he whispered, and then coughed, blood flying from his mouth. "Tell Gure…"

"You'll tell her yourself! You'll live!" I interrupted, snapping at him with intensity.

He growled, his eyes widening in warning, before he dissolved into another coughing fit. "Tell her," he wheezed, his head falling back heavily against my arm, "that I love her… I always have, I always will."

"No…" I moaned, rocking him gently, "don't. Don't go, please. _Stay with me_. Please stay."

"You're a good girl," he whispered, "a strong fighter. You make our people proud. Remember me… promise… you'll remember… Saiyans…"

I froze, waiting to hear his next breath. It didn't come. His eyes had glazed over, staring up at me, yet seeing nothing. His ki snuffed out, and the weight in my arms seemed suddenly empty.

He was dead.

I felt suddenly empty myself. I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to know. I wanted to go back to yesterday, when I had eaten across the table from him at lunch, and then discussed Saiyan culture with him in the afternoon.

I wanted him to be alive.

Only then, did I notice the feet standing beside me. When they had appeared there, I did not know. I looked up, my vision blurred with tears, to see the Prince standing above me, his face grave.

He knelt down beside me, and placed one hand on his brother's head, whispering something solemnly in Saiyan. I wondered how much he had seen- did he know it was my fault? Suddenly, I felt very much like an intruder in this private farewell between siblings. And I feared what Vegeta would do next.

"You have made me proud to call you my brother," Vegeta said, switching to English, "You are a true Prince; you served your people well. I will avenge you, you have my word." He paused, bringing his hand down over Tarble's eyes, closing them with a gentleness Vegeta never usually displayed. "Now I am the last one left," he said in a small whisper, "no other Saiyans live."

My throat felt clogged as I tried to swallow back the tears. Tarble felt heavy in my arms, just as the guilt over his death fell heavy upon my heart.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, both to Tarble, and to Vegeta; my tears falling silently upon the fallen Saiyan's face. Vegeta looked up then, staring at me as if I had grown two heads. I felt my skin crawl as I found myself caught in Vegeta's stare, forced to look back into the eyes of a man who has seen too much in his lifetime. I wanted to look away from his gaze- with his eyes that displayed more emotion than he would ever say aloud- but I found myself trapped.

"Give me my brother," he said slowly, his voice dull and devoid of all emotion, "and go to your mate."

I nodded, carefully handing the body over, willing myself to stay intact- to not break down- until I could get away from the scene before me. I felt as if I were in a dream, _in a nightmare_, surrounded by monsters who wanted to take my very soul.

But there stood my savior, the one person who had the power to drag my back out of such depths, and I found myself clinging to him, finally giving way to the pain and shock and horror that I had felt and seen.

Trunks did nothing more that hold me tight, and yet I felt much better for it. My sobbing and ragged breaths subsided, and I allowed myself to feel content as I listened to his heart beat rhythmically in his chest. Eventually, I pulled my head from the crook in his shoulder, and looked up at his face.

He hissed between his teeth, his jaw clenching as he gently cupped my face with one of his hands. I could tell my face was swollen- it throbbed, and it was hard to keep my eyes open- and I wondered how bad it looked to him.

"Tarble saved my life," I whispered, fresh tears springing forth before I could stop them, "He… he jumped in front… it's… it's all my fault…"

"No," Trunks whispered back, rocking me gently, "it's no one's fault. He made his choice, and there is no blame on you, Panda. I should have been there to protect you… if it's anyone's fault, it is my own."

"How can you say that?" I replied, clutching him even tighter than before, "You were fighting so many at once… it's not your fault… but I…"

"We don't have time to waste," Piccolo cut in, speaking loudly, and I looked up to see everyone crowded around. Vegeta stood in the back, still holding onto Tarble's lifeless form. "I say we have spent too long waiting for Babidi to bring the ball out. We should attack the ship, as long as we don't cause any explosion, the ball should remain intact."

"But…" Shin began. I looked over to him in confusion, it didn't make sense that he would stop mid sentence.

He stood perfectly still, his eyes widened in shock, his moth contorted in pain. Then he fell forward, revealing a miniature version of the white ki-stealing device that had earlier attacked Trunks, protruding from the centre of his back.

"Run!" Krillin screamed, but it was too late. Hundreds of the white devices came flying down like arrows, too quickly for anyone to escape. I felt the first sting as one pierced my skin, and looked down in horror to find one attached to my stomach.

I tried to pull them off, but they drained the energy from my already-injured body at such a speed that I found myself keening forward in a matter of seconds. Around me, I could hear the loud thud made over and over again, as my friends also fell to the ground.

"Pan," Trunks whispered from beside me, and I forced myself to roll over so that I was facing him, my forehead pressed against his own. His skin was growing pale as the energy drained away, and his eyelids began to droop. I felt the same effects happening to me, and knew that this time there was no escape.

"Trunks," I croaked out, my voice barely audible, "stay awake. Stay with me."

"I will," he breathed, "I love you."

"I love you too," I replied, my vision going black. "Trunks!" I whispered again, panic evident in my voice.

"Find me," he said, his breath cool- too cool- on my face, "in the next world. I'll spend eternity with you."

I wanted to reply that it wouldn't come to that- that we would survive- but I didn't have the strength. Instead, I felt the world slowly fade away.

**A/N:** I've taken some creative license in this chapter in terms of what Babidi can do, but I think it's within reason. I think that because this Buu saga is happening so many years after the one in the normal timeline (which we can just say is some kind of timeline discrepancy, somehow caused by Mirai Trunks traveling into the past) Babidi would have had time to gather more minions, hence the presence of a small army.

Also, I figured if he had a big one of those ki-sucking things (you can probably tell I don't actually know what to call them), then he maybe would have been smart enough to make lots of little flying ones that could do the same job. Lol… please just work with me here.

Fight scenes are not my favourite to write, so I hope this chapter was bearable.


	25. Births and Deaths

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Births and Deaths

I felt very strange, lost, and yet not afraid, despite the fact that I was surrounded by blackness. I seemed to be floating, stranded in the air, and felt the distinct motion of twirling, as if I were back on a playground swing as a child, spinning round and round until I became dizzy.

Slowly, a shaft of light opened up in the distant, and I was drawn by an instinctive urge to move towards it, despite my brain telling me that it was probably not a good idea.

"_Find me_," Trunks had said, "_in the next world_." Was this the door to the end? If I went through, would I find him?

"_No_," came his voice, somewhere in my head. No?

"_Hurry!_" his sweet voice urged, sounding panicked. Hurry? To where? Should I go through the door of light?

I went to move towards it- it seemed the natural thing to do- but at once I felt myself surrounded by warmth, as if I were back in Trunks' embrace.

"_Live_," his voice instructed me, "_You have to live, Pan_."

The dark world of nothingness suddenly filled with light, and I gasped, feeling very much like I was being reborn.

***

My eyes squinted automatically in reaction to the light, and I groaned, rolling a little.

"Stay still," a smooth voice instructed, "you will be better in a moment." I looked up to see green hands suspended above my face, and frowned. Who would those belong to?

The warmth continued to surround me, coursing through my veins, and with it, understanding came. I had been close, that time, close to dying. But I had survived, because Dende was healing my now, giving back to me the ki that I had lost.

"There," he said, moving so that I could see his face. "You're all better now. How do you feel?"

"Weird," I replied, gaining a smile from him. It quickly turned to a frown though, as he glanced over my shoulder.

"I have more patients to tend to," he said quickly, "excuse me."

I stood up, to find myself wrapped quickly in Trunks arms. "Too close," he was whispering in my ear, between planting kisses on my neck, "that was far too close… you were almost…"

"Shh," I whispered back, stroking his hair, "You saved me, I could hear your voice. We both have other things to worry about though, so let's just be happy that we're alive, for the moment."

Trunks pulled back at that, gripping my shoulders hard, staring into my face. "I'm going to marry you when all of this is over," he said, his voice calm as if he were stating a plain fact. Just as sudden as the statement, he lent down and kissed me passionately, crushing me against him. Then he let go, turned away, and went to see to his father, who was being healed by Kibito.

I blinked after him, placing a hand to my lips, which were left tingling from Trunks' abrupt kiss. I didn't quite know what to think, and felt as if I were observing the whole drama from a distance. Did he really just propose to me? Or was it some crazy statement, brought on from the near-death experience?

Although the giggling school-girl in me would have liked to think he was actually serious, the logical part of my brain was telling me that he was simply as shocked by the recent events as I was, and as such, happened to be saying things he perhaps didn't mean. Besides, we had only been dating for less than a year… were we even ready for such a commitment? And considering the fact that Trunks usually went to extreme lengths to be romantic, asking me to marry him- well _telling me_ he would marry me- in the middle of a battlefield surrounded by wounded/dying/dead people seemed slightly off.

"Pan!" Piccolo called, and I jumped, startled out of thoughts. The large Namek strode towards me, his frown deepening. "This isn't the time to 'zone out' as you humans call it," he chided, crossing his arms, "You need to stay on guard. Besides, Mr Popo wants to talk to you."

"Mr Popo?" I asked confused. As if summoned by magic, the genie appeared at my side, a concerned frown set upon his face.

"Kami suggested that everyone should regroup at the lookout," he said, taking my elbow. "I think you should come now, child. It is getting very dangerous."

"No!" I replied, suddenly afraid that Popo would whisk me away. Trunks had told me he had a flying carpet that doubled as a teleporter, and I didn't want to risk being removed from Trunks' side during this ordeal.

"But Pan…" Popo began, trying to reason with me.

"She wants to stay, and we may need her help," Piccolo cut in, "tell the old geezer he's being stupid if he wants to remove fighters from the battlefield."

Mr Popo frowned up at Piccolo. "You shouldn't speak about Kami that way," he said, "it is extremely rude."

"I don't give a shit. Pass on the message," Piccolo replied, before turning away. "Follow me, Pan," he said, looking at me over his shoulder, "we all need to discuss what we'll do next."

"But…" Mr Popo began.

"Can you take my mum to the lookout?" I asked the genie suddenly. "And my Nana Chi Chi, Grandpa Ox King, Bulma, Gure and Mr and Mrs Briefs? Oh, and Master Roshi and the others on his island too? Could you do that, please?"

"Well, it is a great privilege to enter Kami's lookout, I don't know if Kami would approve…"

"Please!" I begged desperately, "If something happens to any of them, you can bet that half of the Earth's fighters will be too distracted to do any good. Please save my family and friends!"

"Well, all right," the genie conceded, "but if Kami doesn't like it, this is all your fault."

"That's fine by me!" I yelled back to him, already making my way to the group that had gathered. Looking around, I was pleased to see everyone had been healed by Dende and Kibito's efforts.

"We need to attack," Piccolo was saying, "the situation has become far too dangerous. He absorbed all of our ki, so Buu is probably ready to be revived now anyway. I say we try and destroy the ball, the benefits outweigh the risks."

"I second that," Tien said crossing his arms, "I almost died there, I don't want that to happen again."

"We have to be careful not to release Buu," Trunks cut in, we don't want to have to deal with a monster… the androids were bad enough, but this…"

""But it may already be too late," Piccolo replied, his scowl deepening, "This is not the time for indecisiveness."

"As much as I hate to admit it," Vegeta added, "I agree with the Namek. The only option available to us now, is to attack. If we just stand here, he'll send out more of those ki-drainers."

"I agree," I piped up, causing everyone to stare at me in surprise. "W… well…" I stuttered, blushing, "it's just, there were heaps of those white things before, but now they're all gone…"

"They flew off," Dende explained, "I saw it from the lookout."

"They flew off," I continued, echoing Dende, "that means they've done their job, right? I think if Babidi's a wizard, he probably knows we're still here, right? If we don't have more of those ki-drainers attacking us, they must have already completed the task. He must have collected enough ki."

"Kami," Shin muttered, causing everyone to look at him. "What?" he asked, "Earth's habits are catching, all right?"

"I think Pan is correct," Kibito said, "We must attack now." Everyone nodded, and we took to the sky. Trunks grabbed my hand, and we flew together, ready to face our destiny head on.

"Are you ready?" he asked quietly, looking at me with his bright blue eyes.

I sighed, even covered in dried blood, and wearing torn clothes, he was the most handsome man I had ever seen. "No," I told him honestly, "but I'll try anyway. What other choice do I have?"

Trunks didn't reply, but squeezed my hand tighter. I felt suddenly as if we were holding each other together- that if one of us were to leave, the other would go crazy with fear. More now than ever, I needed him.

***

The ugly pink ball sat outside the ship- it was the first thing I noticed as we flew over the cliff. The sick feeling in my stomach grew as we flew close enough to watch it pulsate, beating like the heart of some disgusting creature.

"You're too late Kai!" Babidi called, coming out from behind the giant ball, two minions following on his heels. "Buu will be born any second now!" He threw his wrinkled head back, cackling like an old witch, making the hairs on my arms rise with the noise.

"NO!" Trunks suddenly yelled, wrenching his arm free of my grip. Transforming up to his full power, he aimed a massive blast directly at the ball.

This action seemed to get everyone else moving. Suddenly, all three Super Saiyans were firing blasts, as was Piccolo and Krillin. After a moment of hesitation, I fired my own Kamehame ha off as well.

The impact of all the blasts propelled the ball into the air, sending it flying before it crashed back down, and finally rolled to a stop. With a hiss, it split down the middle, and I held my breath, waiting for the monster to emerge. The dust cleared, and I leaned forward, watching for any sign of movement.

The ball was empty.

"It's empty," Krillin said softly, his voice etched with confusion, echoing my own feelings. "It's empty!" he exclaimed louder, a grin spreading across his face.

"No! No, no, no!" Babidi cried, falling to his knees. "Where is Buu? Where is my child? You killed him!" he snarled, glaring directly at me.

"No," Vegeta said quietly, and I looked to him, my eyes widening in surprise. "Look up," he said gravely, motioning with his head. "Can't you fools sense that power?"

I looked up to see a strange cloud swirling above us, billows of pink fluff joining together and taking shape. At the same time, I sensed the power Vegeta was talking about; a ki so strong, and so innately _evil_, that I felt paralyzed with the fear of what was to come. Continuing to stare at the pink cloud, I watched as it appeared to grow arms and legs, and then with a strange 'pop' the process was complete, and the ugly monster was born.

"Buuuuu!" it called, its hands curled into fists, its arms outstretched. Immediately it fell to the ground, landing with a thump on its backside. Unfazed, it jumped quickly to its feet, and began to skip around, all the time making high pitched squeaks of "Buu!" and "Free!"

There was no doubt about its potential power, but I frowned at the way Buu acted like an infant. As he began to play a game of hide and seek with one of Babidi's minions, I looked to the Supreme Kai. "He doesn't seem… dangerous," I said, "even though his power feels that way."

"No, it's just a trick," Shin replied, keeping his eyes fixated on Buu. "He may look harmless, but believe me, he's a monster. I was once one of five Supreme Kais. He killed the other four. We are doomed."

"What should we do?" Chiaotzu asked, clinging to Tien's leg in fear.

"I… I don't know," Shin replied, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I've failed everyone."

"Oh, come on!" Vegeta said angrily, crossing his arms. "You haven't even tried anything yet! I'll destroy this ugly pink freak with ease; I haven't reached my full power yet."

I looked back down at Buu, shaking my head slowly. The strange creature was just too strong; to me the chance of defeating him seemed minimal, at best. At worst, we would all perish.

"I wish I could have had more time to love you," I whispered sadly, clutching onto Trunks' arm, "there's still so much more I have to give."

Trunks wrapped one arm around me, and the heat of his transformed body suddenly made me feel so much warmer. "You've made me happy, Pan," he murmured into my hair, "and you always will. Don't give up on us yet, we can still make it through."

"And if we don't?"

"I was serious, when I said you have to find me. If we die…" he trailed off, swallowing so that his adam's apple bobbed, "if we die, I think we'll keep our bodies. And then I'll love you, just the same."

"For eternity?"

"Yes. For forever."

Suddenly a scream filled the air, making me jump. Below us, Buu was firing blasts at the other minions, laughing as they hit their targets. Abruptly he stopped, turning to face Babidi.

"What does Buu do now, Master?" he asked, bowing to the ugly wizard.

"Kill them!" Babidi ordered, pointing to us. "Kill them all!"

"Run!" my father cried, speeding off. Trunks grabbed on to me tightly, flying as fast as he could. I didn't know if we could make it away or not, nor where we could possibly hide, but there was no time to think.

Blasts began to fly around us, but Trunks dodged them with ease. "Krillin!" someone called, and I looked back to see the small man fall to the ground, already dead. The terror spread within me even more, so that I could do nothing more that keep a strong hold on Trunks, and hope he would save us.

"Grab on!" Kibito suddenly yelled, appearing beside me. When I didn't move, he stretched his arm out to me, placing it on my back, and I realised suddenly that everyone else was holding onto some part of him. In a flash, the scenery around us changed, and we were floating calmly in the air, the evil ki far away from us.

I looked down and blinked in confusion; it was only after a few moments that I could comprehend what had happened. Kibito had used his powers of instant transmission to take us to the lookout, which now stood below us. We had survived.

"Where's Chiaotzu?" Tien asked, spinning around in panic. Where is he?" he said again, his voice rising.

"He must have let go. It will be too late now," Kibito answered.

"How can you say that?" Tien yelled, tuning on the pink Kai. "Go back and get him! Go back and get Chiaotzu NOW!"

"It's too late," Shin said softly, placing a hand gently on Tien's arm. "I'm sorry. He's already left this world."

As Tien's cries filled the air, the tears that had been threatening to escape burst forth, and I shuddered, giving way to the grief that consumed me. Within such a short time, three of my friends had gone; theirs bodies no longer anything but empty shells.

I had a feeling more would end up that way, before the day was out.

**A/N:** Finally! I'm sorry about the delay, I started back at university and I haven't had as much time as I thought I would, so it's been a pain trying to get this chapter done.

I think I may have accidentally given people the impression that they all died at the end of the last chapter, when what I meant to convey was that they were passing out. Thanks to Dende (he did tell Pan he thought he'd be needed on Earth lol) everyone got healed in this chapter.

I hope this chapter doesn't seem too disjointed; I normally like to write all in one go, but this one was done in about six sittings, which is shocking for me. Now that they're out of harms way (for now) I'm going to bring in the next part of the plot that I've been looking forward to, so the next chapter should be good. :)

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	26. Against my will

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.**

Against my will

"Pan!" my mother yelled, pushing past the others in order to get to me. Wrapping her arms around me with a huge amount of force, she all but picked me off the ground as she embraced me, whispering over and over again that she was so worried.

Nana Chi Chi was even worse. She bowled Yamcha completely over in order to get to me, and I found myself drowning in the hugs and kisses of my female relatives. Thankfully, both Grandpa Ox and Grandpa Hurcule felt content to observe from a distance.

"You look filthy!" Nana said, pulling at my uniform top, which was torn and covered in grime. "Whose blood is this?" she asked, eyeing me worriedly.

"Mine," I replied. "I took a senzu, and Dende healed me too, so I'm okay. But it's my blood."

"You bled this much?" my mother asked, her eyes widening as her voice rose in panic. "I thought you said you'd take care of her!" she yelled, turning to face my father.

"Trunks had her covered," he replied. "And I'm okay, just so you know."

"Trunks had her covered? This isn't a game, _Gohan_," my mother replied, placing her hands on her hips. "She could have died!"

"I know!" my dad yelled back, clearly at the end of his tether. "I know! And I tried my best to take care of her, okay! But I also had to watch out for the ten guys that I was fighting myself! I knew Pan was fine, for the most part, so don't go crazy at me!"

"I'm not going crazy," she retorted, "I just…"

"Hey!" Bulma yelled, cutting them off. "Now is not the time for domestics, okay? We have to figure out what to do! I want to know what's going on, so will someone please tell me! And where's Tarble? And Krillin?"

At the mention of Tarble I froze, biting my lip, and risking a glance at Gure. She stood a short way off, her face etched with concern, continuously wringing her fingers with worry. My heart broke as I watched her, knowing that her husband was dead.

Dead because of me.

No one spoke, and the silence dragged on uncomfortably. I was sure that the others grasped what this meant, but Bulma shook her head in disbelief.

"No," she whispered, "not Tarble… not Krillin." She looked to Vegeta, pleading to him with her eyes.

"Tarble fought bravely," Vegeta replied, looking directly at Gure. "I'm sorry. His body is still on the battlefield, the Kai did not give me time to retrieve it."

Gure just stood there, staring back at all of us. Eventually, she gave a small nod, and walked slowly away, curling up in a ball under one of the palm trees. Tears formed in my own eyes as I watched her little body shake, and the soft sobs of despair reached my ears. I remembered the promise I had made to Tarble, and with a sigh of anguish, slowly made my way over to Gure.

I sat down, just a foot away from her, but decided to stay quiet. I wanted to comfort her, but at the same time I needed to give her space. In the mean time, I contented myself to picking the flowers in the garden bed where I sat, making daisy chains with the different varieties.

"I've known him all my life," she whispered after a while, sobbing only softly now, "I don't know how to live without him."

I placed a hand on her back, giving her a small rub. "He told me to tell you that he loves you," I whispered back. "He said he always has, and that he always will."

She nodded, taking in a shaky breath. "I know," she said after a moment, and stared out into the blue sky. "I just wish he was still here."

I nodded, not knowing what else to say. After more silence, I decided it was best to leave her to her thoughts, and stood up quietly, three daisy chains wrapped around my wrists- one for each of my fallen friends.

***

When I rejoined the main group Bulma was looking even more worried than before, with her arms wrapped around herself, as if she was holding herself together. "Do you think we're going to die?" she asked Vegeta, tentatively clutching onto one of his bloodied arms.

"Of course not," he replied, but from the look in her eyes, I don't think she was very reassured.

One good thing was that my parents appeared to have made up; they stood off to the side, with one of my father's arms around my mum's waist. I blushed as he bent down to place a short kiss on her lips, and looked away, giving them some privacy.

I don't think I'll ever get used to them being together.

I felt the heat rush to my face even more as I remembered the events of this morning. So much had happened that I had forgotten, but now I remembered Dad standing naked in the bathroom, Mum's heartbeat clear from behind the shower curtain, and my own stupidity for not seeing it sooner.

"Why do you keep blushing Panda?" Trunks asked, snaking his arms around me. "What naughty things are you thinking about?"

I grumbled, turning so that I could bury myself in Trunks' shoulder. He smelt strongly of blood- we all did- but I didn't care. I just wanted him as close to me as possible.

"I saw them in the bathroom," I mumbled quietly, low enough that no one else would hear.

"What?" Trunks asked, pulling back and staring at me, one eyebrow raised in amusement. I rolled my eyes, and whispered to him about the events of my morning.

"_What_?" he asked a little louder, as I got to the part about my mother hiding in the shower. The others looked at us, and I blushed even more. I caught the eyes of both of my parents, and they glared back at me. '_You better not be talking about us,_' their eyes seemed to say.

"They're sleeping together?" Trunks whispered, clearly surprised. "Already?"

"What do you mean already?" I whispered back. "I didn't even know they were together. Did you?"

"Well yeah," Trunks replied, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly at my shocked face. "Gohan told me two weeks ago that they started dating again… didn't you know? I thought it was so obvious."

"No!" I whispered furiously. "It wasn't obvious at all! What do you mean, two weeks? Why didn't you say anything? You're meant to tell me these things, Trunks! Now I look like an idiot!"

"You don't look like an idiot," he replied with a chuckle, "it's their fault for getting it on in your bathroom. I thought you knew, Panda. Honestly, I thought you just didn't want to talk about it. I would have told you, if I knew you didn't know."

"Why would you think I didn't want to talk about it?" I asked, frowning. "I talk to you about everything, why would this be different? I'm a girl! Girls have to talk about things!"

"All right Panda," he said, before silencing me with a kiss. "I'm sorry that I didn't know that you didn't know that your parents were together, okay? Forgive me?"

I giggled, nodding and kissing him eagerly in reply. And for those few moments, everything seemed right in the world.

***

From the time we had arrived on the lookout, Kami had stood still, peering over the edge, his wrinkled hands clutching his staff tightly. I had never seen him before, and watched him now with a sense of understanding sympathy. Like us fighters, Kami, as the guardian of the Earth, quite literally had the world on his shoulders. I imagined he would now be desperately worried, and upset that he couldn't do anything himself.

Suddenly he turned away from the edge, and with a grim determination strolled over to the group. Staring straight at Piccolo, the wrinkled Namek showed a fire in his eyes that seemed to contradict his old, crippled body.

"You know what we have to do," he said to Piccolo, his frown deepening. Piccolo snarled in return, and turned away, shaking his head as if in disbelief.

"What about the dragonballs?" Piccolo asked, looking back at Kami. "Krillin died."

"Krillin has already been wished back by my dragonballs anyway," Kami replied, "it wouldn't work. But the Namek ones are still available, I'm sure our brothers would be happy to help. And Dende can take over from me, he is willing. He can make the Earth dragonballs stronger."

"Oh," Trunks mumbled into my hair, and I looked up at him questioningly. "I told you about this, what happened in the past," he explained, "Piccolo and Kami fused, to become a Super Namek. I think they're going to do it now."

"Wow," I breathed in reply, and turned back to watch the events unfold.

Piccolo appeared to be of two minds. He stomped up and down the lookout, grumbling to himself and baring his fangs at anyone caught staring. In the meantime, I decided I had some questions for the old guardian.

"Excuse me, uh… Kami," I said quietly, dragging Trunks along behind me. "Are you really going to fuse with Piccolo?"

"If he wants to, yes," he replied, turning to me. "I only wish your grandfather was here, he'd sort this mess out."

"Oh, yeah," I mumbled, frowning. Everyone always seemed to be wishing Grandpa Goku was around, and I wondered whether he would really make a difference at all. After all, Trunks, my father, and Vegeta were all Super Saiyans.

"Can't you lay an egg?" I asked suddenly, looking up at Kami. His face grew slack in shock, and he blinked back down at me in disbelief.

"Lay an egg?" he asked. "Why?"

"Bulma told me that Piccolo isn't the original Piccolo. She said that King Piccolo laid an egg just before he blew up, and that egg became Piccolo. I was just wondering, couldn't you lay and egg that could fuse with Piccolo, instead of you having to fuse yourself? And… I mean… does a fusion like this change you?"

Kami paused for a moment before answering taking the time to look me up and down. "You're a very intelligent young woman," he commented, "it's surprising, coming from someone your age."

"Thanks," I mumbled, blushing. "But…"

"No, an egg would take too long," he replied to my questions. "Plus, in order to transfer one's full essence into an egg, one must sacrifice their own life force. You see, when King Piccolo died, it was not from the wound Goku inflicted, but from the fact that he sacrificed his own life force and put it in the egg. It caused him to self destruct."

"Why did King Piccolo do that?" Trunks asked, frowning. "It doesn't make sense."

"Oh, he knew he would die anyway, he had a hole through the stomach. It just would have been a slow, painful death. This one was much quicker. Daimao was evil to the end, and undoubtedly selfish. By laying an egg, though, he thought he could ensure his plans for world domination would continue. You can thank your father for changing that, I never thought I'd see Piccolo overcome the evil in his heart."

"Fine!" Piccolo yelled, turning back to face us, "Fine, you wrinkled, useless, old man! I'll fuse with you, but we're keeping my body, understand?"

"Of course," Kami replied, "Your body is the stronger of the two."

"But Kami…" Mr. Popo began, tears forming in his eyes.

"It has to be done," Kami replied, turning to the genie, "Thank you, for all you've ever done for me, old friend."

"Oh, Kami," Popo sobbed, taking the old Namek's staff.

"It is time," Kami said with an air of finality. "Place your hand on my chest," he continued, speaking to Piccolo, "and we will begin."

I watched with awe as Piccolo did as Kami instructed, and quickly shielded my eyes as the two Namekians suddenly appeared to set on fire, hot blue flames coming from their bodies. They were both screaming, a harrowing sound which chilled me to the core, and I gripped onto Trunks' arm in fear, unable to look away from the freakish sight.

Suddenly Kami seemed to dissolve, his form stretching out until it was nothing but a mass of swirling gas. It enveloped Piccolo, covering him entirely. Then, as sudden as it began, it was over, and Piccolo stood alone.

I let out the breath I had been holding, and took a closer look at the Namek before us. He _looked_ the same as Piccolo had before, but there was something different about him- some slight difference in mannerisms that showed that he had changed. He actually quirked a little smile at me, something that Piccolo would have never done before.

It wasn't only that, I realized, as I sensed his ki. Not only had the general feel of it changed, he had also grown exponentially stronger. Trunks had told me in the past that after the Namekian fusion Piccolo had been as strong as a Super Saiyan; if that were true, he would be a great help against Buu.

Piccolo seemed to be examining the change, stretching out his arms and looking himself over. Finally, he spoke.

"I am the Namek who has long forgotten his name," he said, frowning out towards the sky.

"Well, _that's_ good to know," Bulma said sarcastically, "I'm so glad this thing worked out so well, now you don't even know who you are!"

Piccolo frowned at her, his mouth turning down in the scowl that seemed much more like his usual demeanor. "Just call me Piccolo, okay?" he said angrily, and stomped away to stand on the edge of the lookout. "Stupid human wench," I heard him mutter under his breath, "she doesn't understand the significance of this."

"All right!" Vegeta yelled, making me jump. "I'm sick of this melodrama. The Nameks fused, so let's get on with it. We have to decide what we are going to do next; I doubt it will be long before they figure out where we are hiding, so we can't sit around here like scared little girls."

"Sexist," I mumbled under my breath, causing a harsh glare from Vegeta to be sent my way.

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber," Trunks said, nodding towards the lookout palace. "Only a day passes on the outside, but inside the room you get an entire year of training, under harsh conditions and ten times the Earth's gravity. I used it in the past, and I think it's our best bet now."

Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise, before his face transformed into an angry scowl. "Why didn't you tell me about a room like that earlier, boy? I would have used it a long time ago."

"It's only for emergencies," Trunks explained, "You can only spend two years in there, any more and the room locks you in forever. And it only supplies enough food for two Saiyans at a time, no more."

"Well, if you've used it for two years before boy, that means you can't use it again now, hmm?" Vegeta questioned.

"No, Trunks can use it," Mr. Popo answered. "He used the room in a different universe to this one, so this room will not recognize him. It is perfectly safe."

"Well good!" I said, cutting in. "That means Trunks and I can go in together, and maybe Vegeta and my dad, and then the others, and we'll all be way stronger!" I looked around for confirmation, but all of the fighters didn't seem to agree with my idea. Looking up at Trunks, I was surprised to see him frowning down at me.

"Panda…" he began, hesitating to find the right words, "I…"

"You can't train with Trunks," Piccolo cut in, walking back over to the group, "He goes too easy on you."

I frowned, taking a step back as a knot formed tight in my gut. "What do you mean?" I said, my voice rising in panic. "What do you mean, that I can't train with Trunks? You expect me to spend a whole year in a freakish room on my own?"

"No, not on your own," Piccolo replied coolly, "You will train with your father and I. I don't eat, so I can join two Saiyans in there. Trunks can train with Vegeta."

"No," I replied, shaking my head, "No, I'm not spending a whole year without Trunks. A _year_! I can't do that!"

"Would you rather we all die?" Vegeta asked, staring coldly at me. "Don't be foolish, girl, a year is nothing. You're no more than a spoilt brat. Either you take the year of training, or you don't fight at all, it's as simple as that. Trunks cannot train you, he's too soft. And you can't go in with him; you'll _distract_ him too much."

"No!" I said, stomping my foot like a child. "Trunks! Tell them! Tell them you want to train with me!" I looked up at him, fearing what his answer would be.

"I'm sorry, Panda," he replied softly, "but they're right. I can't train you. This is serious; the whole world is at stake. It's a bigger issue than just you and me."

"But Trunks!" I cried, tears spilling down my face, "I can't spend a whole year without you!"

"Yes you can," Piccolo replied, grasping both my arms from behind. I screamed, twisting in his grip, trying to knock him off balance so that I could break free. "Gohan!" Piccolo yelled, "Hurry up and help me!"

"Stop it!" I screeched as my father transformed and took hold of my legs. "You can't do this to me! You can't_ make_ me train with you! I won't! I refuse! Stop it! Put me down! Trunks! _Help me_!"

I looked over to Trunks as they dragged me away, to see him staring blankly at us. "Trunks!" I cried again, "Don't let them do this to me! Why won't you help me? I love you!" His gaze met mine at that, the blue eyes piercing through my heart.

"You have to train, Pan," he said, before he turned his back and walked away.

"_TRUNKS_!" I screamed, but it was too late. The door closed in my face, and I was thrown to the floor.

The next year was going to be hell.

* * *

**A/N:** The whole Namek egg thing is just my interpretation on what happens. Sorry the update took a while; thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter, I hope you all enjoyed this one. :)

Also, I know Trunks may seem a little mean at the end of this chapter, but he's coming from a fighter's perspective (so please don't hate him!). I'm going to give you all his POV on the matter in two chapters time.


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